


Sunshine

by TheBeeThatHums



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awesome Phil Coulson, Battle of New York (Marvel), Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Has Issues, Bruce Feels, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Nick Fury is Not Amused, Protective Bruce Banner, Reader has some shit going on, Reader-Insert, Threats of Violence, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, fluff all over
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-19 00:59:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 27,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17591726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeeThatHums/pseuds/TheBeeThatHums
Summary: When Bruce is brought onboard the Hellicarrier he finds he isn't the only one with emotion issues. He finally has someone that understands. You are quick to make friends and before he even rightfully knows it he wants something more.A/N: This is a super old fic that I am moving over from Deviant Art.





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be a one shot... and then my brain decided differently. You're welcome.

The ceiling is gray and lifeless and you hate it. You hate everything about this stupid Hellicarrier, except for maybe the tech, though some days you hated that too.

You had had your reservations about joining SHEILD when they approached you after high school; you had wanted to go to college, to have a life of your own, but they hadn’t really given you much of choice. It was- become an agent of SHEILD- or -get locked up in a government lab and become a test subject for the rest of your life.

Obviously, you chose the option that didn’t involve you becoming a human pincushion.

As jobs went it wasn’t bad- it paid well enough, they provided any schooling or training that you needed, and you mostly enjoyed the work. Fury let you work alone a good percentage of the time, which was the way you liked it. You just couldn’t stand the Hellicarrier. It was hard to escape people on here, as the other agents, particularly Barton, roamed even the most remote corners. Not to mention you liked the feel of solid ground under your feet.

The soft jingle of your phone erupted from somewhere near the door and you let out a heavy sigh before heaving yourself off the bed to retrieve it. You answered it and before you could even say anything, Fury barked, “Meeting. Conference room. Now,” and abruptly hu up.  

You didn’t bother to glance in the mirror before heading off, but if you had you would have noted that for once you actually looked semi-presentable- a recent field mission had graced your skin with a tan that hadn’t faded yet, you had slept and eaten well the past couple of days- a small miracle- and your skin and eyes reflected it, and finally your hair, while disheveled, fell attractively around your face, giving you a sexy bedhead look. You moved toward your destination quickly, smiling and sometimes waving at familiar faces. It wasn’t that you didn’t like the people you worked with, in fact, you got on really well with Clint and Tasha, among others, you just never felt like they really cared. There was always that feeling in the back of your mind that they were friendly because it was convenient, because they were afraid, or worst of all because it allowed them to judge you all the more intimately.

You reached the conference room fairly quickly, slipping in quietly in hopes of getting through whatever this was without Fury putting you on the spot. Unfortunately, luck was not on your side today, as Coulson immediately noticed your presence- he always noticed- and after grinning as a way of greeting you, nudged Fury.

“Glad you finally decided to grace us with your presence, Agent (L/n),” he boomed in an unamused voice and you frowned, “It has only been approximately three minutes and fifteen seconds since you hung up on me sir- rude by the way- the only way I could have possibly made you wait was if you notified me after you expected me to be here. In which case, my tardiness is entirely your fault.”  

The vein on Fury’s neck looked like it was about to burst.

“Oooo Fury got schooled,” came a familiar deep voice from your right, making you aware that you hadn’t looked around the room properly. You did so now noting that the voice came from no other than Tony Stark- the two of you had worked together before and you flashed him a quick smile to which he winked in return. There were some other familiar faces sitting around the table- next to Tony on your right was Captain America, or Steve as most on the Hellicarrier knew him, you knew him only in passing and from what Coulson gushed to you. On the other side of the table, were Clint and Tasha, who looked to be engaged in some silent conversation, and you smiled- they would make a cute couple if they would just get on with it already.

It seemed the only person you didn’t know was the dark-haired man sitting on his own at the far end of the room, lost in thought. Seeing as Fury had blown a gasket shortly after your little conversation and poor Coulson was desperately attempting to calm him down as he continuously ranted, you made your way over to introduce yourself as that was the polite thing to do.


	2. Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some more.

You carefully leaned against the table next to him, so you were facing him in plain view- you didn’t like to be snuck up on when lost in thought so you never did it to others- waiting patiently and after a second he looked up at you.

Smiling you offered a hand, which he took, “Hi there, I’m (F/n)(L/n). I don’t believe we’ve met.”

You couldn’t help but note that up close he was terribly adorable and when you had finished your introduction, he gave you the smallest smile before answering, causing your heart to jump.

“I don’t believe we have, Agent (L/n). Dr. Banner, but everyone calls me Bruce.”

You snorted rather unattractively, much to your dismay, causing him to look up at you confused as you quickly explained, “Fury’s the only one that calls me Agent anything and you see how that works for him,” you gestured to the scene playing out behind you, “It’s just (F/n).”

You saw him try to hide an amused smile before saying “Nice to meet you, (F/N).”

It was at that moment that Fury managed to compose himself again, “Well I see you’ve taken no time introducing yourself to Dr. Banner, Agent (L/n.)” he snapped angrily, “How about you meet the rest of the team?”

“Yeah, Bruce. Don’t hog the hot chick.” Tony quipped, wiggling his eyebrows at you seductively.

You turned bright red, settling down a chair next to Bruce, “Stop teasing, Tony. It’s not nice.”

He just smirked and Fury quickly started up again, “Everyone this is Agent (L/n), codename Hurricane.”

Bruce noticed you wince at the mention of your codename, you absolutely hated it with a burning passion, and Fury simply continued, “She will be the final member of this team as both her intellect and her unique skill set will prove useful.”

Did he just say ‘team’?

You cleared your throat, “I never agreed to be a part of some team. Fury, you know I work alone. For a good reason too.” Trailing off at the end so only Bruce was able to hear the last sentence.

He gave you a surprised look but you didn’t notice because you were having a stare down with Fury, “You are being assigned to this team and you will cooperate, you know the consequences if you do not.”

You went pale, if joining this team meant staying out a testing facility so be it, but you didn’t have to be happy about it. Defeated, you grumbled, “Yes of course sir.” 

Fury went on to say something about what the team's purpose was and so on but you couldn’t focus, not after what he’d just threatened you with. Coulson caught your attention, mouthing ‘you ok?’ before giving you sympathetic look. You knew he didn’t approve of Fury threatening you with that. You did your best to force a small smile while nodding your head to reassure him. Letting your hands slide loosely into your lap, you hung your head, lost in thought, when a warm hand slipped into your unnaturally cold one. Your head shot up to lock eyes with its owner, Bruce, who was giving you a concerned look accompanied with the same small smile from before.

He had been watching you carefully, intrigued with how you had taken it upon yourself to approach him and how you had waited patiently for him to come out of his thoughts. For some reason, he felt comforted by your smile and the sparkle in your eyes and he’d noticed when both left. He didn’t even really think it over before he slid his hand around yours, it had just seemed necessary- a notion further confirmed when you looked up at him with pain-filled eyes before hesitantly letting your smile return.

Fury snapped the two you out of your trance, which in reality had lasted only seconds, screeching, “Agent (L/n), control yourself!”

You jumped, quickly pulling away when you realized the window behind Fury was frozen over and all the metal in the room had acquired a fuzzy looking layer of ice. You panicked inside- how could you not have noticed that happening- and then closed your eyes momentarily to focus on reigning in your feelings. The room warmed considerably and you shook your head- it had been a while since you’d lost control and allowed your powers to openly reflect your emotions in front of other people. You stood abruptly, knowing it probably wasn’t the end of this little episode of ice stemming from your feelings of hopelessness and sorrow, and with a mumbled apology, bolted from the team and back to your room.


	3. Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to keep this from turning into a giant ball of fluff. Really I am.

~~~~After you left the room~~~~

Coulson didn’t waste any time before voicing his opinion to Fury angrily, “You were too hard on her. You shouldn’t have threatened her with that.” He said the last word like it was some kind of abomination and given what he was referring to it kind of was.

Fury shook his head, “She needs to control herself, if she can’t even keep her powers under control with me then how will she do it around strangers or enemies? Fill them in, Agent Coulson.” And with that he was gone, leaving the confused Avengers to stare at Coulson expectantly.

He let out a frustrated sigh, where to even start, “(F/n) has the ability to control the elements, air in particular, but there is a major downside: much like Dr. Banner, her powers are connected to her emotions. What you all witnessed just now was a minuscule show of what can happen when she is not in control of her emotions- the threat Fury threw at her made her upset and fearful, which caused her to unconsciously cover the room in ice to reflect those feelings.” There were nods of acknowledgement of the information.

“Is it always ice?” Steve asked warily, he didn’t fancy being frozen again.

Coulson shook his head, “Her body instinctually picks the element and form that best matches her emotion. I’ve seen her hands catch fire when angry and high-speed winds whip up around her when she’s frustrated.”

“That explains the codename,” Clint grumbled.

“I can see why she hates it now,” Natasha added, in a rare moment of visible sympathy.

Tony was the only one who had the guts to ask the question on everyone’s mind, “What exactly was Fury threatening that made our little ray of sunshine go Ice Queen?”

They all looked at Coulson expectantly and he pulled a pained expression before hanging his head, “(F/n) didn’t join SHEILD willingly, we approached her after high school, just before she was about to go off to Yale University with a full ride, and gave her a choice. We revealed that we knew about her abilities and then told her she could either become a SHIELD agent or spend the rest of her life a prisoner in a government testing facility.”

There were a couple of small gasps around the room and Tony looked at him in disbelief, “You can’t be serious.”

Coulson nodded, “As serious as a heart attack.”

Bruce felt anger welling up in his chest- no wonder you'd just sort of crumpled when Fury had said it, he thought, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths to push the anger back down.

“Should we go check on her?” Clint asked after a long silence.

“You could try but in my experience she won’t answer,” Coulson responded before waving his hand for them to disperse, “You are all dismissed.”


	4. Breath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next couple of chapters are Coulson heavy and light on Bruce. DEAL WITH IT.

You couldn’t really remember how you got to your room, but when the door slid closed behind you, you leaned against it and let yourself sink to the floor. The temperature in the room dropped significantly and you didn’t have to look to know there was a light layer of frost covering its entirety. You shivered, only immune to your own powers to an extent, but didn’t move to get something warm- this was your way of punishing yourself for letting this happen. You allowed yourself to wallow for what felt like hours before there was a soft knock on the door.

Coulson.

You sighed internally, taking some deep breaths in an attempt to reduce the frozen scene around you. Unlike the other times, this had been a relatively minor incident and you knew he would worry if you isolated yourself like you normally did after a larger incident. Thin flecks of ice fell from your skin like dandruff as you forced yourself up and tried to quell your shivering. You hesitated for a moment, wondering if you should open the door with the room in such a state. ‘What the hell, Coulson has seen me do worse so he can’t really judge me for this any more than he already does.’ You reasoned, knowing deep down that Phil was one of the few people you felt you could trust. You opened the door and heard him suck in some air as he surveyed the situation.

“Hey Phil,” you sighed, bringing your eyes up to find his, his mouth in a slight frown.

“You have to let it go, (F/n),” he said calmly, surprised you had opened the door at all, and you focused on the floor.

“Look at me,” he ordered gently, lifting your chin with a finger, and once your eyes met his, he continued, “Close your eyes and take some deep breaths. Let it go. You’re safe. All that awful stuff you’re thinking about isn’t going to happen. I won’t let it.”

You did as he asked and, despite the fact that you knew Fury had the final say not him, you let his words comfort you. Coulson let out a sigh of relief as the cold and the ice faded from the room, “See. That wasn’t so hard was it?”

You shook your head opening your eyes.

“Thanks, Philly Cheesesteak,” you huffed, letting your usual grin light up your face. He grinned back at you, glad to see you back to normal, “Anytime, Kiddo. Now come on. It’s time to eat and I know some people who are eager to see you.”

You opened your mouth in protest, wanting to be alone, only to have him drag you off in the direction of the mess hall.


	5. Sustinance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know anymore just go with it ok?
> 
> (Quick A/n- For the purpose of this story lets assume that the Avengers teamed up just before the Tesseract was stolen, maybe cause someone hinted there was something big coming or something... I'm sending Hawkeye off to become a mindslave and then things go back to the normal plot.)

When you got there, Coulson quickly spotted the Avengers’ table, shoving you towards it, with a promise to bring you something. Knowing he meant well, you sighed and went over to greet your new team. There were only two open seats at the table- one between Steve and Bruce and the other between Clint and Tony- you chose the latter, leaving Phil a chance to fanboy over the super soldier. Bruce frowned disappointedly when you settled in next to Tony, who greeted you with a smirk, “Well if isn’t the Ice Queen. Done giving us the cold shoulder?” Steve gave him a swift kick under the table.

“Actually, I was hoping you could help bring a little heat back to my world, big boy,” you responded, much to everyone surprise, shooting Tony a suggestive look.

“Oh, that can so be arranged,” Tony said leaning in, his face only inches from yours. You deceptively allowed your breath to hitch slightly and caught your lower lip between your teeth, you knew Tony noticed when his own breath caught in his throat. You pulled away abruptly, giggling, “In your dreams, Romeo.”

Tony’s smirk turned to a little frown as the rest of the table erupted in laughter.

“I told you- teasing isn’t nice, Stark. Though it feels good to give you a taste of your own medicine.”

Once the laughter had died down, you got down to business, “So what is this team actually for? I mean it must be important to gather a group of dangerous and intelligent-”

“Don’t forget attractive,” Tony inserted.

You rolled your eyes, “and attractive people such as yourselves.”  

Steve flashed you a sweet grin, “Our job is to make sure the earth is safe from harm and may I say it’s a pleasure having you work along side us, Miss (L/n).”

“No need to be so formal, Steve- (F/n) is just fine,” you corrected giving him your own friendly grin, when your favorite smoothie- a ‘pink and green’- and a couple of cookies were set down in front of you. Your smile widened, “Are you sure your not psychic, 'Phil'adelphia? How is that you always know what I want?”

“Power of observation and time,” he grinned, moving over to the open seat and sliding into it happily with a look of pure admiration directed at the blonde man sitting next to him. You giggled, taking a mental snapshot of your friend and mentor, and gladly sipped at your drink.

“How is that an appropriate dinner?” Clint asked frowning; Steve and Bruce nodded in agreement.  

You chuckled and then flashed Clint a bitch face, “This has more essential nutrients and protein in one sip than your entire dinner plate and the cookies? They’re just comfort food, cause why the hell not.”

He glared at you as Tasha punched him, “What have I told you about commenting on peoples’ food choices?”

“Geez, all right! I was wrong. Sorry!” Clint yelped as both you and Natasha ganged up on him as usual. He was saved by his and Coulson’s phones ringing in sync and both of them being called away by the higher-ups- Clint on assignment to New Mexico and Phil to the bridge. With their departure the group dispersed, everyone going back to working on their respective tasks, and you made your way back to your room, flopping down on your bed, letting all that had happened catch up to you, and falling into a deep sleep.  
  



	6. Static

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray for some more Bruce... finally

~~~~Sleepytime skip to 12 hours later brought to you by Jareth the sparkly Goblin King~~~~

You were woken from your slumber when your phone let out a short jingle and you sighed checking it to find a text message from Fury ordering you to the lab to work on an urgent new assignment alongside Stark and Dr. Banner.  
Deciding not to question it you got up and made your way to the lab. On the way you couldn’t help but notice the atmosphere on the ship had changed to tense, people rushing around and talking urgently, and when you got to the lab you found out why.  Tony and Bruce were deep in conversation and didn’t notice when you walked through the doors.

“We have to find it. The Tesseract could wipe all life off the face of the Earth.” Bruce warned, pacing in front of Tony who was leaning against a table with his arms crossed.

“You mean that glowy blue thing out in New Mexico,” you questioned, causing their eyes to snap to you.

“If by glowy blue thing you mean the Tesseract that can provide an endless amount of power, then yes.” Tony answered and Bruce looked at you confused, “What are you doing here?”

“Fury sent me to help,” you shrugged indifferently while Tony nodded thoughtfully.

“Makes sense, we could use another sciencey computer wiz. Welcome to the team,” he said before frowning, “I guess science bros won't work anymore…”

You moved over to the computer you worked at normally, absent-mindedly offering, “How about science musketeers?”

Tony clapped loudly causing both you and Bruce to jump as he exclaimed, “Perfect! I’m so glad I came up with it.” You exchanged an annoyed glance with Bruce before the two of you rolled your eyes.

“Bruce, you fill her in. She can probably help you with that equation, I’m going to get some grub and eavesdrop a bit,” Tony exclaimed, waltzing out of the lab.  Once he was gone, you turned to Bruce and gave him a shy smile, “How can I help?” 

He motioned for you to follow him and lead you over to his computer, sliding into the chair and pulling up a complex series of numbers and symbols.

“I can’t seem to get passed th-“ he started, only to stop short when you placed a delicate hand on his shoulder and leaned down to get a better look, enthralled with what you were seeing. His heart rate fluttered, you were close enough that if he turned slightly he could have kissed you and a blush colored his cheeks. Not that you noticed, since you were lost in processing the work in front of you, until he unintentionally cleared his throat. You turned to look at him, eyes widening as you realized how close you were, and then jumped back, a blush of your own developing as you stammered, “I-I’m s-sorry. I didn’t mean- I don- I don’t normally work with other people.”  

Bruce noticed the slight crackle of electricity that had begun to come off you and cautiously put his hands on your shoulders to look you in the eye.

“It’s alright, (F/n). Take a deep breath. You didn’t do anything wrong,” he assured in a deep, gentle voice. You closed your eyes momentarily and took a couple of deep breaths and the crackling stopped. When you opened your eyes again, you found Bruce still searching your face. He gave you that small smile, causing your heart to thump in your chest, and you blushed again, this time without the electricity, as Bruce asked, “ Are you good now?”

You nodded, trying not to look at him, and he slowly let go of you. You stood there awkwardly for a second before Bruce turned to go back to the computer only to have you stop him, grabbing his arm quickly.

“Thank you.” you whispered before finally looking up at him, “Most people panic or get the heck out of dodge.”

“No problem. Let’s just say, I know exactly how you feel.”

You gave him a questioning look, causing him to frown and break eye contact, “You know the Hulk? Yeah, well, that’s me.”

You processed that, facepalming your self internally- you had known that but for some reason hadn’t connected Bruce with the Dr. Banner/Hulk/Gamma Radiation information in your head. The look on his face broke your heart but it was one you knew well- often seeing it on your own face in the mirror. He looked up in surprise when you stepped forward and grabbed his hand to give it a quick squeeze and was even more surprised to see a comforting smile on your face.

“Let’s finish up that equation and then you and I can have a little talk,” you soothed, tilting your head toward the computer. He nodded in response and the two of you settled down to work on it.


	7. Threats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruce is actually getting kind of difficult to write so I'm sorry if he gets OOC

You and Bruce were still working on the equation when there was a call for you both to join the others in the conference room.  As you made your way there, walking down the hall side by side, you noticed the nervous look on his face, his mind obviously jumping to terrible conclusions of what might be going on. You hesitated for a moment and then gently slipped your hand into his. He jumped a little, his cheeks turning pink, and shot you a confused sideways glance. You just flashed him a reassuring smile in response, giving his hand a little squeeze, before swiftly removing it, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. You spent the rest of the walk deep in your own thoughts allowing your mind to process the things you had been trying to ignore.

‘What am I doing? Sure he makes my heart jump when he smiles… oh my goodness that soft unsure smile that he gives me every so often is so adorable… No focus. FOCUS. He’s just being kind. He’s probably the only person who understands what it's like to have to watch yourself constantly and he’s just showing you that you’re not alone. So why do I feel like this? I mean it's been years since…’

You glanced at him.

‘God, why does he have to be so attractive? How does his hair even do that? It’s all messy and sticks out but in the most perfect way… It’s kinda sexy. I just want to run my hand through it and play with that chocolate curl, the one right at the nape of his…. Focus Damn it! Even if he does feel the same way- I’m me and he’s him. That’s not exactly going to work out. I’m a freak. Everyone thinks so. Besides, it's not like I can even leave the hellicarrier. I hate this stupid hellicarrier and its stupid gray walls…’

Unbeknownst to you, Bruce had been observing you the entire time you were letting your mind run amok. He had been fairly surprised when you grabbed his hand, pulling him out of his troubled thoughts, and found himself disappointed when you quickly pulled away. Slyly he watched as you lost yourself in your own thoughts, wondering if you knew that your expressions changed rapidly as you did so. You went from something that looked like calculating, to a dazed stare with your head tilted off to the side, only to finally shake your head and furrow your brow. Bruce smiled thoughtfully to himself as your face continued to change, stiffening slightly when you shot him what you thought was a stolen glance, and as you both walked through the conference room doors, your face twisted into a frown.

Fury greeted you, pulling you both from your respective thoughts, “Dr. Banner. Agent (L/n). We have located Loki in Germany. We will be sending a small team to retrieve him.”

The room dissolved into a discussion of who would go for a moment, a conversation that Bruce chose to stay out of, you, on the other hand, demanded, “Send me.”

Everyone but Fury turned to look at you, shocked, and you continued, “As you have so graciously pointed out, I am part of this team now. You know I can handle it and I could use an excuse to blow off some steam. Send me.”

Fury was already shaking his head, “You are a liability. Loki could easily twist your emotions. You will stay here with Dr. Banner and resume your work on locating the Tesseract.”

Your emotions flared, “I would be a hell of a lot more useful on the ground and you know it. What is the point of me even being on this team if you won't let me go where I’m needed? Besides, If I don’t get off this shithole of a Hellicarrier soon, I’m going to go insane and it sure as hell won't be pretty.”

A light breeze whipped up around you as if to validate that fact- Fury wasn’t the only one who could throw around threats. Everyone in the room was frozen in a mix of emotions except for Bruce, who placed a comforting hand on your shoulder in an attempt to calm you for the second time that day, “(F/n), I could really use your help in the lab.”

“Listen to him, Agent (L/n). You will remain here. That is an order. I suggest you exhibit more control in the future or I will not hesitate to put you on lockdown,” Fury bellowed angrily.

If looks could kill Fury would have died a very painful death right then.

You leveled him with an intense glare, shrugging Bruce’s hand off your shoulder, and then whipped around to leave, hitting the entire room with a forceful gust of air as you did so.


	8. Truth

~~~~ After you left~~~~

Tony, who had been watching your little tantrum with an amused smile, now turned to Fury, “You’ve gotta let up on her, Pirate Man, or it’s you that’s gonna be in trouble.”

His tone was warning and at the same time threatening- you were a part of his team now, not to mention his friend and fellow science musketeer, and he didn’t like Fury treating you like a trained dog he could kick around.

“I agree, Director, Miss (L/n) only wants to help,” Steve followed up firmly with Natasha nodding in agreement and Bruce took the opportunity to voice his own thoughts, “Not to mention threatening her isn’t exactly the best way to keep her calm.”

Tony shot his new friend a worried glance, noticing the anger in his tone, and Fury spoke again, “I suggest you worry about controlling your own temper, Dr. Banner. Now get back to the lab. Stark. Captain. You will go with Agent Romanoff and retrieve Loki.”

Bruce shook his head disapprovingly but did as he was told. He was a good way down the hall when he heard rushed footsteps behind him, followed by a hand grasping his shoulder, and he turned to find Tony looking at him with concern, “You ok, bro? As much as I like to see you letting off a little steam, now probably isn’t the best time to let the Big Guy out to play.”

Bruce forced a smile, “I’m good, Tony.”

Tony pursed his lips, unconvinced, causing Bruce to look away before hesitantly continuing, “I don’t like the way Fury treats (F/n). No one deserves to be treated like that, especially not her.”

The doctor didn’t look up to catch Tony’s expression turn to a smirk when he remembered Bruce’s hand on your shoulder earlier and began to put things together, pressing, “What do you mean, especially not her?”

Bruce seemed puzzled for a moment, gathering his thoughts before responding, “I don’t know. She’s really kind to everyone, always smiling and listening, and she's so smart… It just seems wrong for him to treat someone like that so cruelly.”

Tony’s smirk grew to a taunting grin, “Does the Jolly Green Giant have a crush on our little Ice Queen?”

“W-what? N-no. I just-” Bruce stammered, his face flushing red.

“Oh. My. God. You so do.” Tony sassed seriously, before laughing, “My little science bro is all grown up and becoming a man.”

“Tony,” Bruce growled warningly.

Choosing to ignore it, Tony got really serious, “You have to tell her. You would be perfect together. All that emotional angst to share.”

“No.”

“Come on,” Tony pouted.

“Don’t you have a mission to go on?” Bruce offered, trying to move Tony’s attention elsewhere.

“Oh. Yeah, that. Gotta go”

Bruce let out a sigh of relief as Tony turned to leave, only to have him toss over his shoulder, “I won’t forget this. You and I are going to continue this little talk later.”

Bruce frowned and let out a sigh, turning to leave himself, and continued on his way back to the lab.


	9. Quiet

You were pacing, allowing little gusts of wind to follow you, when Bruce walked in. It felt good to use your powers intentionally for once, even if it pissed off Fury- heck you did it because it pissed of Fury. Right now though, you let the breeze escape you because it was a calming change to the stale air of the Hellicarrier. The monitors around you were blinking with different results to the tasks you had given them on your return and you looked at one now momentarily before spinning to write out something on the whiteboard that occupied the room. If Fury wasn’t going to let you fight, then you would at least make yourself useful here.

Bruce watched you as you moved around at a pace that could only be compared to a small whirlwind since you hadn’t noticed him come in, too occupied with trying to be useful. When you abruptly stopped and let out a frustrated little growl, running your hands through your hair, Bruce cleared his throat. You spun tensely, relaxing when you saw who it was, and then launched into a scientific rant, “It doesn’t match up. With all the programs we're running we should at the very least be able to track the Tesseract’s presence, if not its approximate location. I’ve run checks on everything, even did a few of the equations by hand to make sure we hadn’t gotten them wrong, and nothing. Logistically everything checks out, so why haven’t we found it yet?”

While you rapidly lectured, Bruce went to lean against the table, hands in his pockets as he simultaneously listened to you and looked over the work you had written on the board. He waited for you to finish, knowing you needed to vent, and then stepped forward into the path of your pacing. This caused you to stop and give him your full attention so he could calmly state, “You’re right. We’ve done everything we can. Now, all we can do is wait.”

The winds you had allowed to surround you up to now stopped abruptly as you stared at him and then let out a sigh, “I suppose you’re right. I just feel…”

“What?”

“Useless,” you mumbled, flopping down in the nearest chair.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth, (F/n),” Bruce stated with a firm but quiet confidence as he sat down in the chair next to you.

“Deep down, I know that I guess, well sorta, and I know that we just have to wait for results. I’m just… frustrated and that’s translating to impatience,” you offered by way of explanation, still staring at the ceiling. Bruce shifted nervously in his chair, this was the first opportunity he’d had to talk to you without others or work getting in the way. Suddenly you blurted out, “I hate the ceilings on this thing. They’re all the same.”

He chuckled and you turned your head to look at him, “No really. This whole place is just… grey. I hate it. All of it. But especially the ceilings.”

He tilted his head in thought and you turned back to look at the object of your hatred as he asked, “And why is that?”

You thought about it for a moment before giving him your answer, “Have you ever just laid on the ground and looked up at the sky, Doctor? It’s always changing, every minute of every day, and it’s always beautiful. The many different shades of color cropping up at any given time of the day. The clouds that float listlessly by. The soft twinkly stars at night. The moon…” you let out a nostalgic sigh, “I used to spend entire nights just watching the path of the moon before relishing the sun and the colors of dawn peeking over the opposite horizon. Now I look up and all I see is the same lifeless grey.”

He sat back to think about what you had said when you suddenly started up again, this time turning to look at him, “So you have anger issues too. Let’s talk about that.”


	10. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the lame flashback. idk why I even put that in.

He let out a surprised chuckle at your sudden change of topic before frowning seriously, “It’s difficult. I always have to be on guard for things that might push me over the edge, whether it’s a topic of conversation that could lead to an argument or someone shooting at me. Letting the Other Guy out… It never ends well.”

You hummed thoughtfully before quietly responding, “I know what you mean. I don’t really have an ‘Other Guy’ per say but once I’m out of control… It’s like my powers feed the original emotion and then my emotion feeds my powers causing this cyclical build up of energy that’s difficult to break. I-I… some bad things went down the last time that happened.”

You sat in silence for a minute and then you leaned forward to rest your elbows on your knees, using your hands to create a cradle for your head as you asked, “Do you remember? You know… when you change back?”

“Only the very beginning when it’s starting and the very end when I’m coming down,” he answered before hesitating and then returning the question, “What about you?”

He almost wished he hadn’t as he watched you pull into yourself slightly, hunching your shoulders, “I always remember. All of it.”

He reached out to put a comforting hand on your back when you suddenly chuckled, “I just realized Tony must poke at you too. Isn’t that just so annoying?”

He nodded when you turned to look at him, a slight smile on your face, “That man seriously wants to get his ass kicked, I mean he’s literally asking for it.”

Bruce chuckled, “It’s true. He really is. I just hope that, if he ever manages to get what he wants, he can handle the monster inside of me.”

With that you turned to face him fully, your face serious, “You are not a monster, Bruce.”

He shook his head bitterly, looking away from your intense gaze, “You haven’t seen me in action. You don’t know. I am a monster.”

You felt him tense as you took his face in your hands, forcing him to look at you again, “You. Are. Not. A. Monster. Emotionally challenged yes, but not a monster. Never a monster. You wouldn’t be here, helping to save the world, if you were a monster.”

You pulled away, leaning back into your chair, “My dad always used to say ‘We are not judged by our intentions, or even our actions, but the results that are evident as time passes.’ You have done so much good in this world, Bruce. Don’t ever forget that.”

You closed your eyes for a moment as you both let that sink in and then quietly continued, “Thank you, Bruce. It’s been so long since I thought about that. I had forgotten what he told me. This entire time people called me a freak and a monster and I walked around believing it. He wouldn’t have wanted me to.”

He looked at you sadly; he hadn’t known that you felt as he did. ‘How could you think that,’ he wondered, ‘You were so talented and caring.’ He knew everyone on the team and many on the ship considered you a friend and were ecstatic if you graced them with your presence. They had even discussed it after you left the day he met you.

~~~~Flashback brought to you by Chekov’s adorable accent~~~~

“We should go check on her,” Natasha said and Clint nodded in agreement, “She always seems to know when I’m upset and she’s there for me to talk to, to make me laugh, or to just distract me. We should be there for her now.”

“Agreed,” Natasha said.

Tony frowned, “I know what you mean, Bird Boy. She’s like a little ray of sunshine. The couple of times I’ve worked with her it was impossible not to smile when she smiled. She never took herself or me too seriously like some chicks. We could be doing the most serious thing and she made it seem all fun and games. Normally I’d be jealous because that’s my job but she makes it seem so sexy...” his frown turning to his signature smirk at the end.

“She helped me with the elevators a bunch of times and I couldn’t help but notice that a couple of times she returned to the floor she was originally on after making sure I was where I needed to be,” Steve, offered shaking his head, “Though I believe that Agent Coulson is probably already checking on Miss (F/n). He really cares about her. I’ve never seen him question his superiors before.”

They sat in silence for a moment before Natasha added, “I would have never known that she wasn’t here by choice. She always seems so happy.”

They all nodded in agreement.

“Let’s give her time to cool off, or heat up I guess, and then we’ll go check on her.” Clint suggested and they all nodded again.

~~~~End Flash Back~~~~  
  



	11. Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if he's OOC. I got a little caught up in it.

You reached forward and gently tugged one of the curls falling on Bruce’s forehead, snapping him back to the present, “Earth to Bruce. You in there?”

He realized you must have been talking to him since you were now leaning forward, looking at him with a playful smile. Letting out a soft chuckle, you shook your head when he gave you that small nervous smile back.

“How do you do that?” he asked.

“Do what?” you hummed, leaning back to spin in your chair.

“Go from upset to happy so quickly.”

“Who said I was upset?” you queried, still spinning

He stopped you, “(F/N).”

You rolled your eyes and let out a sigh, pouting, “Party pooper. If you must know, it’s how I deal with my emotion issue. You hide from your emotions, nervous as to what might happen, I, on the other hand, let them happen and then change them if they start to get too deep. It’s harder to lose control if I don’t let certain things like sadness or anger sink in. It’s not always easy but it works.”

Bruce nodded, that actually made sense, and then began, “I don’t hide from-“

You cut him off with a look that said ‘seriously?’ before countering, “You so do.”

He chuckled, he couldn’t argue with you when you made that face- it was too cute- not that he really had the chance, seeing as you suddenly leaned forward to look him in the eye and then exclaimed, “You know what I’ve been thinking Bruce?”

He shook his head, smiling at your sudden enthusiasm, and you quickly told him, “I’ve been thinking you and me should be Anger Buddies.”

He gave you a confused look and you rapidly babbled, “I mean, like, I obviously have issues other than anger but Anger Buddies sounds way better than Emotion Buddies, that sounds like some weird sex thing and-“

He cleared his throat to get your attention before interrupting, “What exactly do you mean Anger Buddies?”

“Like when one of us is starting to go over the edge the other talks them down… you did a pretty good job of it earlier-” You explained, hesitating suddenly as if contemplating whether or not continue before blushing and admitting, “and I feel comfortable around you, like I’m safe and everything’s not entirely hopeless. I haven’t felt that way in a while. Even before Shield.”

Bruce was blushing now too and opened his mouth to say he oddly felt similar, but you cut him off, shoving your pinky in his face, “So what do you say? Anger Buddies?”

He looked at your finger in confusion before stuttering, “Y-you don’t even k-know if you can calm me down. W-what if you c-can’t handle it and I end up h-hurting you? I c-couldn’t live-“

You were already shaking your head, “Trust me, Brucey, I can handle it. Besides, I’m not exactly helpless. So what do you say?”  

He frowned at your nickname for him as you wiggled your pinky in his face, “Brucey? And why are you wiggling your finger in my face?”

You giggled, which made him smile, “Yes ‘Brucey’. ‘Bruce’ is so serious. You need to lighten up a little. And the pinky is for when you inevitably agree with me, so that we can make the most serious and bonding of pacts- The Pinky Promise.”

“Really? A pinky promise?” He teased lightly, “and who said it was inevitable?”

“It didn’t need to be said. It’s just a fact that you will agree,” you said with mock seriousness, “and the pinky promise is the highest of promises you can make. You ready, Anger Buddy?” You wiggled your finger again.

He chuckled, unable to resist, “Alright. It’s a deal,” wrapping his little finger around your delicate smaller one and giving it a little shake.

You smiled happily before exclaiming, “Anger Buddies forever!” just as Tony burst in toting a wall of a man with long blond hair and a strange set of armor.  
  



	12. Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome Thor to my mind ramblings and fluffy fluff.

Tony smiled wickedly when he saw the two of you, but didn’t get a chance to say anything before you bounced up to get a better look at the man, “Whoa there, has fashion changed this much down on the ground since I’ve been stuck up here? I’ve gotta say I’m diggin’ it, except maybe the cape. It looks kinda like a curtain.”

Tony bounced enthusiastically, “That’s exactly what I said. Well, I called it a drape… but same difference really.”

You both nodded in agreement as the man between you boomed, “I do not understand. What is wrong with my cape?”

You smiled up at him, “Nothing at all my friend.”

“This is Loki’s brother-“

“Thor, son of Odin. Keeper of thunder and lightning and rightful heir to the Asgardian throne.” You interjected, examining the man in front of you with curiosity and a little awe.

“You know me?” he asked, face dissolving into an expression that looked somewhat like an excited puppy.

“I was obsessed with all the Norse myths when I was a child. I’m (F/n)(L/n) by the way.”

You jumped when he grabbed your hand and laid a gentle kiss on it, “It is a truly a pleasure to meet you, Lady (F/n).”

You blushed madly, static beginning to crackle off of you, barely managing, “It’s just (F/n). You don’t need to-“

Tony interrupted, coming to your rescue, as Bruce moved to your side, “Down boy. You’re making her nervous. Not to mention I couldn’t help but notice her and Dr. Banner here getting a little cozy a second ago.”

He wiggled his eyebrows in the direction of the two of you- so much for Tony helping. Your blush multiplied threefold and small sparks began to jump from your skin, “W-what are you talking about, Tony? Bruce and I- w-we are- we’re just friends. Well, Anger Buddies.”

Tony smirked and Thor looked at you in awe, before Bruce spun you to face him, “That’s right, (F/n). We’re Anger Buddies and you know what Anger Buddies do?”

You nodded, closing your eyes and trying to take a deep breath, “We calm each other down.”

“Exactly. Now take another deep breath.”

You obeyed, keeping your eyes closed, and repeated the action until you felt calm enough to open them. Bruce was searching your face, eyes betraying the worry he felt. You checked for any remaining electricity and then wrapped your arms tightly around his waist burying your face in his chest, which muffled your next statement, “Thank you, Bruce.”

He panicked for a moment and then hesitantly wrapped his own arms around you, answering, “Anytime, Anger Buddy.”

Bruce glared at Tony who was smirking as he nudged Thor, “See told ya.”

You removed yourself from the hug to punch Tony in the arm, “You are absolutely no help at all. You idiot. Did it occur to you that this whole ship is metal and if I’d lost it I could have killed everyone? “

He just taunted you in response, “But you didn’t ‘cause you had your Anger Buddy- adorable by the way- to help you out.”

You punched him again before storming out, “I’m gonna go check on Tasha.”


	13. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is moving to slow. There's so much in my head. I just don't know how to make it stop and just get you and Bruce together already.

You found your Russian friend sitting outside the room that held the cage, staring straight in front of her, obviously deep in thought. You sighed- losing Clint to Loki had been hard on her even if she refused to show it- and quietly settled down on the bench next to her. You leaned to be in her line of sight before venturing forward, “Tasha?”

She snapped out of it, turning to look at you and now that you had her attention you offered, “He’s going to be alright, Tash. I know Clint, he’ll never stop fighting to get back here. Back to you.”

She frowned and shook her head, sorrow suddenly etched on her face, voice barely above a whisper, “What if he does?”

You wrapped an arm around her tightly, pulling her to you with a chuckle, “Now that doesn’t sound like the Clint I know at all and something tells me deep down you know I’m right.”

She looked at you again, face returned to blank, and then gave a little nod. You smiled, “How about some sparring? Nothing cheers you up more than kicking my ass on the mat… or we could go eat our emotions. Get some cookies maybe some ice cream and just dig in.”

That got the reaction that you wanted, she gave you a playful shove and a smile graced her face, “As much as I’d like that, (F/n), I think I’d rather fit in my suit tomorrow.”

You both giggled and she continued, teasing you a little and mocking Fury at just the right moment, “What about you? How’s the whole ‘stay in the lab you’re a liability’ thing going?”

You laughed, Natasha was the only one who could take something like that and make it a joke, “Not that bad… let’s see- Bruce and I talked for a while which ended in our becoming Anger Buddies and then Tony came in with Thor, who’s a total hunk I’m sure you know. Thor made me nervous and then Tony made me more nervous… bad things started to happen but Bruce stopped them. I hugged him and then punched Tony and now I’m here.”

Natasha listened to your mini recap intently before asking any questions she had, which turned out to only be one, “You hugged Dr. Banner?”

You smiled at the thought, the action had just come instinctually but once you were there, you couldn’t help but enjoy it. He smelled kind of like tea with a hint of spice and something musky you couldn’t put your finger on and he was pleasantly warm, especially with the fact that you ran cold most of the time.

Natasha watched you drift off in thought for a moment, a slightly dazed smile on your face, and then come back to answer, “Yeah, I guess I did.”  

She smiled, “You like him.”

“What? N-No, I just-“

“Oh come on its written all over your face” as she said it your hands flew to your face as if you could feel what she was talking about. It was no use trying to deny it now so you sighed, “Fine. I guess your right. I can’t help it. He’s so adorable and understanding and I just-“

“I’m pretty sure he likes you too.”

You looked at your friend as if she just told you the sky was green and then shook your head violently, “Of course he doesn’t. I’ve got major emotional issues and I’m not that pretty even when I try, what kind of guy wants a girl like that. Besides, even if he did, Fury’s never going to let me leave this Hellicarrier especially not on some strange romantic tryst, so that would make dating kinda hard and by that I mean impossible. Not to men-“

“Stop.”

You turned to look at Natasha on the verge of continuing but she spoke before you could, “He likes you, (F/n). You are caring and smart and on top of that absolutely gorgeous, and you know I wouldn’t say that if it wasn’t true. Don’t you ever think otherwise. As for Fury, you can leave that to Coulson and me. We’ll figure something out.”

You felt tears well up in your eyes at the prospect of being able to live back on the ground again or at least to be allowed to go there freely and from the fact that she felt so highly of you. She grabbed your arm and hauled you up, “Come on. Fury says we've gotta be on guard and that means you have to suit up.”

You opened your mouth to protest, which she anticipated, pointing out before dragging you off, “Banner won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”


	14. Bros

~~~~ Back in the lab~~~~

Bruce watched you leave and didn’t follow, he understood you wanted to be away from a situation that would cause you to harm others. Besides, going after you wouldn’t exactly help with Tony’s taunting. He turned and leveled Tony with an unamused glare, “Can’t you just lay off her? She’s had a rough day already.”

Tony just smirked at him, “You would know, what with you getting all cozied up to her while we were gone. We were off fighting evil, while you two were becoming Anger buddies. Exactly how far did you get with her to earn that title, Brucey.”

Bruce went to his computer trying to avoid direct confrontation, “She wanted to go with you, you know that, and despite what you may think nothing happened. We just talked and then we agreed to calm each other down when things start to go bad out of mutual necessity.”

“That hug looked like more than mutual necessity if you ask me, Brucey.”

Bruce spun, trying to stay calm, “It was just a hug- she was grateful- and stop calling me Brucey only she’s allowed-“

It was to already too late by the time he realized what he was saying. Tony had a huge grin on his face, “What was that, Brucey?”  

He sighed, there was no point in denying it now, “She’s the only one allowed to call me that, so please stop.”

“She made you her Anger Buddy and she gave you a nickname. Dude, she so likes you. Make a move already.”

Thor had been watching the two of them argue, rather confused, “I do not understand. How did she create lightning on her body?”

Tony rolled his eyes, “It’s part of her special skill. Get with it, Thor. If you want to know more ask her.”

Thor nodded as if this answer was satisfactory and then queried, “I still do not understand her relationship to Dr. Banner. Are you courting her?”

“That’s just it, Shakespeare in the Park. He isn’t but obviously should be.” Tony offered, waving his hand at the Demi-god in annoyance.

Bruce opened his mouth to tell him off when Thor boomed, “Dr. Banner, do you wish to court Lady (F/n)?”

Bruce floundered a bit before trying to answer, “I-well yes, I guess.. but it’s complicated. Besides, you saw how she reacted to Tony suggesting we were… courting… before, I don’t think she wants to be courted. At least not by me.”

Thor just smiled a large goofy smile, “It is not complicated. You wish to court her, so do so. If you have not attempted it, my brother, then you can never know for certain that she will not accept.”

Tony looked up at the Demi-god, surprised at his sudden display of wisdom, before agreeing, “Thor’s actually right. Grow a pair, bro.”

Bruce looked at the floor, slowly becoming lost in thought, ‘Was Thor right? Was it that simple? Could you want him too?’ There was only one way to find out.


	15. Mistakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter sorry.

Natasha shoved you toward the door of the lab. She still had time before she needed to interrogate Loki, and she wanted to reap the spoils of her work. You were clad in something similar to the standard Shield issue jumpsuit, except it was tailored to the different needs of your powers and your utility belt, elbows, and knees were marked with spirals to reflect your codename. As there was little to do on the ship besides train and work, you spent a good amount of time sparing with other agents or working with your powers in your own private facility and it showed. Natasha had helped you pull your hair back into a messy braid and made you sit still while she put some makeup on your face.

You looked hot.

Now all she had to do was get you into the lab and in front of Banner.

Uncomfortable, you had protested the entire way, despite the fact that you knew Natasha always got her way in the end. And now you were stumbling into the lab with Natasha behind you. You focused on the floor as the room greeted you with silence and then Tony spoke up, “What have we here? Where have you been hiding all those curves, sweet cheeks?”  

You blushed deeply and felt the electricity bubbling up inside you again but it was quelled when Natasha stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder, “Fury ordered us to suit up. Doesn’t she look amazing though? Don’t forget- she can kick your ass, Stark.”

“She looks fantastic,” Tony beamed, slightly proud of your sudden transformation even though he had nothing to do with it.

“I am inclined to agree with the metal man, Lady (F/n). You do look truly radiant,” Thor exclaimed stepping forward suddenly to wrap you in a rib-cracking hug.

“Thank you, Thor, but I can’t breathe,” you managed and he set you down. Tony looked to Bruce now- he hadn’t taken his eyes off you since you walked in and his jaw was hanging slightly slack, a pink tint creeping into his cheeks, “What do you think, Bruce? Doesn’t she look just good enough to eat?”  

You refused to look up at him, instead taking an interest in your boots, so you didn’t see him flounder, turning from pink to red, “Y-yes. I m-mean no she doesn’t- yes but“

You shook your head, looking up at him now, a little hurt, before interrupting to announce, “I just remembered I have something to do over… not here.” You turned on your heel taking deep breaths as quickly left the room, leavening them all speechless.

“What the hell, Banner? Do you know what I went through to convince her she looked good?” Natasha raged, “I would hit you so hard right now if I could.”

“Yeah, bro, you really screwed the pooch on that one.”

Bruce didn’t hear either of them, he could only see the hurt look on your face over and over again- what had he done? 

‘Tony was right I need to grow a pair. I couldn’t even tell her that she looked stunning.’ He thought before shaking his head and voicing his realization, “I have to go after her.”

“Damn right you do,” Natasha answered.

He rushed out of the lab to try and find you as Thor yelled, “Best of luck to you, Brother Bruce! I have confidence you will succeed.”  
  



	16. Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And enter Loki.

You ran. Ran from your emotions, from him, from your shattered hopes, from your own heart. You ran, turning down hallway after hallway not caring where you ended up, and then you stopped. Why? Even you didn’t know, you just did.  
Gathering your bearings and catching your breath, you found that you were outside the room of the cage. Natasha had said she needed to interrogate Loki and that he was in the cage, and here you were.

You allowed your curiosity to get the better of you, stepping through the familiar door and into the room. You took in what you saw there slowly, the man you knew to be Loki pacing around his prison his slicked back hair swishing slightly when he turned.

You ventured further into the room, stopping a few feet away from the glass, “So you’re Loki.” No response.

You chuckled, “You know the more I see of Asgardian fashion the more I think we’ve been going in the wrong direction. Except for the capes. I assume you have one too? Though I think it probably looks a hell of a lot better than Thor’s. His looks like a drape he tore off a window.”

Still, no response but you swore you saw him smile slightly.

You hummed watching him for a moment, he shivered ever so slightly but you caught it, “Are you cold? The air in there is always frigid and I mean even frost giants must get cold.”

You didn’t wait for him to answer; you just stepped forward and placed your hand on the glass, closing your eyes to focus on heating the air inside the cage.

When you opened them, he had stopped pacing and was staring at you with ice blue eyes, he growled, “Why are you here? Is their plan for you to show me some kindness and I will spill my plans to you, you pathetic human?”

You looked at him confused, shaking your head, “No one sent me. Actually, I doubt I’m supposed to be in here but, since my usual punishment would be to end up where you are, I don’t think I have much to worry about.”

He stared at you for a moment, so you continued, “I’m (F/n) by the way. But you can call me whatever, I hear ‘pathetic Midgardian’ is a favorite.”

You moved to lean on one of the rails, his eyes following you and you jumped when he asked, “Why are you here?”

You shrugged, “Honestly I don’t know. I was running and when I stopped, I was here.”

“You, you are the elementalist. You run from your emotions, so what pathetic emotions brought you here?” he sneered, “Let me try my hand at a guess. You felt hopeless, useless, and unwanted and you ran instead of standing up to your adversaries just as you always do. From the very beginning, you ran. Ran from what you are, from the fact that you murdered your father. You ran and when you were offered an opportunity to stop and fight, you did not, you ran right into the arms of those that treat you no better than me, a prisoner. And now you run because you are weak, you run from those who hide behind the word friend, like a hungry wolf under a sheepskin, because you know they do not care. You are an instrument of war to them but they do not know that you are dull because you lack control. You are the monster that mother’s use to scare their children at night, lurking in the shadows for something in you to break. You will lose for your leader's fool notion that they can control what can never be controlled, two monsters who hide in the shadows pathetic and weak, shying away from the power of what they are.”

He let out a malevolent laugh as you backed away eyes wide, “Your wrong. Bruce helps.” Your voice wavered, “I help. We aren’t monsters.”

His eyes locked with yours and his mouth twisted into a smirk, “So eager to defend him but you hesitate to defend yourself with an argument you don’t even believe. Why is that?” He laughed, “Oh… how rich, you love your fellow monster. To bad he will never return your feelings, even if he could, how could he ever love someone such as you.”

 

You ran again, you didn’t care if you proved him right, you couldn’t stand to hear anymore, you could feel something rising within you that you couldn’t allow.  
  



	17. Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter is short.... but has a good ending.

On your way through the door you passed Natasha coming to interrogate Loki, she tried to catch your arm but you were too quick. She called after you a couple of times but you didn’t stop and she had a job to do, so she pushed down her worry and went to it.

You ran for a while longer and then slowed to a walk so you didn’t attract attention. Your mind spun but you refused to allow yourself to think, you couldn’t, there was already power bubbling up inside of you that you needed to reign in.

You made your way down the halls toward your training room, if something happened in there it wouldn’t bring down the ship, focused only on keeping everything in until you got there.

You rounded a corner and there was Bruce looking distraught, you prayed he wouldn’t see you and that if he did he’d just let you pass without saying anything, but your prayers weren’t answered.

“There you are (F/n).” he started, giving you a nervous smile, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I’m so- what’s wrong?” His smile dissolved into worry, as your face crumpled and the hallway’s temperature dropped considerably.

“Not now Bruce, I need to-“ you were cut short as a storm cloud formed above you and began to release a mixture of hail and rain. 

Bruce’s eyes widened, “(F/n) take some deep breaths. Think something happy. The colors of the sky. Your father. Anything.”

This only succeeded in making it worse as you began to cry, all of your pent up sorrow flooding out, “I will never get to see the beauty of the sky. I’m not allowed to leave. Fury is going to lock me up forever and he has every right to. I killed my father, the only family I had on this stupid planet and I killed him.”

The walls iced over and the cloud above you grew, letting out a clap of thunder and a small bolt of lightning as it did so. Bruce was properly panicked now, it was cold, even for his gamma-radiated blood, he could see you were shivering, and it was only getting worse.

He had to get through to you somehow, snap you out of this, but what could he do. His body took control where his mind failed; he leaned forward and pressed his warm lips firmly against yours, which were now a faint shade of blue.

The thunder and lightning stopped instantaneously from shock, followed by the hail-rain when your lips moved to accept his kiss. The hallway started to warm as you broke the kiss to sob into his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around you tightly, his low voice in your ear soothing, “It’s alright. Everything’s alright.”

You stayed like that for only a few minutes but it seemed like hours and then you pulled away, wiping the tears from your face while looking down at his shoes and mumbling, “ I’m so sorry Dr. Banner. I ruined your clothes.”

He frowned at your sudden formality and that you felt the need to apologize, offering you his hand, he tried to comfort you, “It’s alright (F/n). Really. Come on let’s get back to the lab, I have a spare set there. No harm done.” 

You sniffled and then hiccupped but took his hand and let him lead you to the lab.  
  



	18. Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gotta take a break from this for a couple of days. I defiantly wrote way more than I intended.

When you walked through the lab door Tony was still working on cracking Shield’s network, his back to you, “So did you find her Big Guy or did you-“ he stopped when he turned to find the two of you soaking wet, your hand still in Bruce’s.

“Whoa,” he managed stunned momentarily but quickly recovered, “What the hell happened to you two? Do we have a pool I don’t know about? You do know sexy skinny-dipping requires you to take off your clothes first?

Bruce ignored him, turning to you to say, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” before reluctantly letting go of your hand to go find some dry clothes.

You nodded and sniffled again, trying to take deep breaths so you wouldn’t hiccup, when Tony demanded impatiently, “Isn’t anyone going to tell me what’s going on? Are you crying? Bruce, did you make her cry? If you did I’m going to punch your face in. I don’t care if the Other Guy shows up, I will-“

You stopped him, “It wasn’t his fault Tony. Really. If anything it’s my fault. I sorta rained on him.”

Tony looked from you to Bruce a couple of times, “You…rained… on him. Well, that’s not what I expected… Is that some sort of kinky sex thing?”

You managed a small laugh, rolling your eyes, as Bruce returned to your side to answer, “No Tony. It rained because she was upset and crying,” He turned to you “Why exactly, is something we are going to talk about in just a minute.”

He went to change his clothes with an order to Tony to be nice and not to mess with you, leaving him to stare at you as you fiddled with the sleeve of your jumpsuit, which was already dry. Thank you Shield technology

Tony stepped forward, “You want to talk about it, baby doll?”

You shook your head at first and then nodded before saying flatly, “Loki. Fury was right, I couldn’t handle his silver-tongue.”

Tony bit back the rude comments that popped into his head, he needed to be comforting right now, “And you lost it?”

You shook your head, “Almost. Bruce… Dr. Banner… h-he kissed me to make it stop.”

Tony smiled and was about to congratulate to two of you, when all the monitors started going off. At the same time, Bruce walked back in with Fury and Steve on his heels and Natasha and Thor close behind. It took only moments for the entire room to dissolve into an argument around you as the true nature of Shield’s intentions for the Tesseract were revealed.

You went from sad to angry, moving to stand in between Steve and Fury so that you could voice your thoughts, “What the hell Fury, you keep me locked up here because I could be a danger to the world and then you go around making weapons of mass destruction with some alien device, what sort of hypocritical bullshit are you trying to pull. And don’t you dare try to tell me it's for the good of Earth because I will take my boot and shove it so far up y-“

Fury interrupted to give you some bullshit answer about it being Thor’s fault and everyone continued arguing amongst themselves. As angry as you were, you just wanted them to stop, this wasn’t getting anyone anywhere, especially with Steve and Tony having a pissing match over who would win in a fight and Thor calling people names.

You were trying to come up with a plan when you heard something that stopped your heart dead in its tracks.

“-In case you needed to kill me, but you can’t, I know, I tried.” you looked on in shock, taking a few steps forward, as Bruce continued, “ I got low. I didn’t see end so I put a bullet in my mouth-“

You stopped him short, throwing one arm around his neck and gently pushing the scepter he’d unconsciously lifted back in place with the other, and then whispered, “It’s alright Bruce. I’ve been there too. I understand. Just breath.”

You felt his arms wind around your waist as he buried his face in your neck, letting out a heavy sigh, and you pulled away slightly so you could look at him, “You aren’t alone, remember that.”

The ship shook, throwing the two of you apart, and suddenly you were falling through the grating on the floor along with Natasha and Bruce.


	19. Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there was so much action to write. I hope I did that well

You let out a soft groan more from shock than from anything else before slowly sitting up. Your eyes quickly locked on Natasha, who was stuck under a beam, and you went to her aid.

She shook her head at you violently, “(F/n) just go. Banner’s changing.”

Your eyes widened as you noticed Bruce not far away from her, breathing heavily. You didn’t bother to try and calm him, he was too far along, instead you pulled the beam off Natasha and yanked her up, “Go.”

“What? (F/n) you can’t-“

“I’m faster than you. I can hold him off for a bit. Just Go.”

She gave you a quick nod and ran off to the side just as Bruce, now fully Hulked out, let out a deafening roar. He noticed Natasha and looked as if he was going to go after her, when you changed his mind.

A sharp gust hit his face causing him to grunt and search for its origin- you.

“Well hey there Big Guy, aren’t you just the loveliest shade of green.”

He roared and you bolted, weaving through the levels inner workings and making split-second decisions as you went. You threw some ice on the floor in front of him in an attempt to slow him down and it backfired, sending him sliding toward you at top speed, closing the gap between you two considerably.

You came to a place where there was little ground cover to shield you, only a glass-paneled hall, which you quickly scurried down but the damage was already done. You were fast but with the closed gap not fast enough.

A huge green fist threw you into a wall so quickly you only just barely managed to throw a cushion of air around yourself to soften the impact before you hit it. Your air cocoon dampened the blow enough that you didn’t sustain any injuries, that is, until your head collided with the wall forcefully and everything went black.

When you came to, there was a giant hole in the wall and not so distant roars from the Hulk told you that you couldn’t have been out for long. You sprung up, fighting back the throbbing that it caused, and ran, following the direction of the roars.

It was Bruce after all and you weren’t about to abandon him or let something happen that he would regret. Anger buddies forever. You continued to follow the path of destruction that he had left in his wake and after a few flights of stairs and some tricky maneuvering, you found him just as he was throwing Thor across the room.

The Hulk went after him and you followed, trying to formulate a plan that didn’t involve someone dying, mainly you, or the ship getting torn to bits. Thor’s hammer suddenly came into play as the man sprang up from the floor and threw it in the Hulks face.

You winced even though you knew he could obviously take it and Thor spotted you, “Lady (F/n). Go. I shall hold him here.” He turned to continue the fight while you contemplated doing as he asked. You didn’t have much time to think as you noticed the armed plane pull up outside the window.

“Shit.” You gasped, your eyes going wide before grumbling, “Yeah, let’s shoot the big angry guy cause that’s totally gonna calm him down and not just, you know, make him angrier.”

You reacted as swiftly as possible, throwing up a large wall of ice between the plane and the Hulk just as it started shooting, and silently cursed Fury for putting you on a damn plane where there was no earth or stone for you to draw from to make something stronger.

The ice wall didn’t hold up long, crashing down from the intense amount of bullets hitting it, and as it fell those bullets found their target. The Hulk roared and moved toward the window. You could see him going for something to hurl at the plane and its pilot and in a split second did the only thing you could think of, you grabbed his arm, throwing a wall of air up in front of you in an attempt to stop him.

Unfortunately, you were wrong about his intentions and he threw his full weight as well as yours careening out the window and towards the plane. Traveling through the air, suddenly suspended high above the ground, you panicked and then your training kicked in. Using your powers, you could hover slightly and at the very least stop yourself from hitting the ground.

You began to push a little air around yourself when you saw an explosion erupting from the plane. You thought quickly again and used the air you had already and more to pull the pilot from the plan and throw him through the broken window to safety.

This rash decision cost you dearly as before you could turn your focus on your own situation you collided forcefully with the Hulk’s upper arm, the air you used having pushed you back at a rather high speed. You thought, “Well this was not what I had in mind…” just as your body made impact and then there was nothing.

~~~~~~~~

The Hulk roared, momentarily distracted from tearing apart the plane, and threw your body away from him after you hit him rather forcefully in the arm.

He returned to the plane, ripping off piece after piece before the thing finally exploded and he began his descent to the ground below. You were on the same trajectory just a bit below him when Bruce started to come out of it, he could barely register the situation but managed to pull you to his still Hulked out form before the ground came quickly up to meet him.


	20. Awkward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked writing this bit. Sorry if you seem like you have a major head injury I had a bad headache while writing it and I think it got incorporated.

You woke up in a crater of broken building and cement flooring with Bruce hovering over you looking concerned, panicked, and on the verge of tears, “Oh thank god. I thought you were dead. That I had…”

You shook your head, shifting to prop yourself up slightly before quickly looking to the ceiling, face red and energy crackling around you, “Umm… Bruce, you're naked.”

Bruce went red and scrambled back as a voice from a little ways away called, “I tried to tell you to put some pants on son.”

Your eyes lowered to lock on an old security guard who had just tossed Bruce a pair of pants.

“Hi.” You smiled at him as if it was the most natural thing on earth to come smashing into the floor in the arms of a green giant.

“Hello there little lady, you’ll have to excuse your friend he was a little eager to see if you were alright.” You nodded and Bruce appeared at your side again, shirtless but at least somewhat clothed.

“Are you alright? Can you move?” He fretted, his hands hovering over you as if you would crumble at his touch.

You sat up fully, shoving your head between your bent knees, and groaned, “My head feels like it’s going to explode and I’m bleeding a bit from somewhere… my arm I think, but other than that I’m fine.”

He helped you up only to have you fall against him, you froze at the sudden contact with his lightly muscled chest, quickly pulling away which caused you to reel slightly and Bruce grabbed your arm to stop you from falling.

Sparks were flying off of you again as you managed to regain your balance and, turning away from Bruce, you gulped, “You should really put on a shirt. Like soon.”

He looked down at himself and then over at the security guard who was already tossing him a rumpled button-down shirt, “Why don’t you come down here miss. Give him a chance to get decent.”

You nodded and wobbled down to where he was and, as you reached him, he asked, “I already asked your friend there if he’s an alien. What about you?”

You shook your head, “Nope, human.”

“Ah… you and your boyfriend both got some strange conditions then little miss.”

“I guess you could say that, yeah, but he’s not my boyfriend.”

The man looked at you confused, “The way he was looking at you… maybe you should rethink that.”

Bruce shuffled down the rubble to join you, starting to fret again as he could now see the gash on your arm and the bruise stretching from just above your temple to just past your jaw.

He reached out to cup your face in one hand so he could get a better look, his thumb lightly tracing the bruise, “Did I-“

“No” you assured him, “Well yes and no. You didn’t actually do anything. It’s more that I ran into your arm…hard. And when I say ran, I don’t mean you hit me, I mean I just happened to collide with it.”

He looked at you confused and you sighed, “It’s a long story, which I will tell you on our way to Stark Tower.”

The security guard spoke up, causing Bruce to pull his hand from your face, “I may be able to help with that.”

You wrapped your arms around Bruce as he steered the little rickety motorbike the kind security guard had given you, pressing your cheek into his back and closing your eyes in an attempt to soothe your throbbing head.

The two of you had agreed to head to New York and join the fight but only after you stopped for the night to recoup. Bruce parked the bike at the motel and you pulled away from him, only to have him pull you back to him as you wobbled unsteadily, “Let me help you inside.”

You didn’t have the energy to protest and just let him steady you all the way to the front desk. The man standing behind it gave you an odd look, you couldn’t and didn’t want to imagine what he might be seeing if your appearance was similar to Bruce’s in any way.

His hair was sticking out at odd angles, even more so than usual, he was covered in dirt, and his normally comforting chocolate eyes were glossed over with exhaustion and worry.

He let go of you to rummage through his pockets, coming up empty-handed, before you remembered what Tasha had told you once, ‘When the need arises you will always have everything at your hip.’

Your fingers slid down to your utility belt, pressing here and there in their search, and to your surprise, you found a small slit in your belt that contained a credit card, a government issue ID, and a few large bills. You handed the whole bundle to Bruce and stood in a daze as he talked to the man.

He turned back to you after a moment with a nervous look on his face and you tilted your head at him in a nonverbal question, “There’s only one room.” 

You just nodded trying to process that information in your pain riddled mind before mumbling, “As long as it has a shower with hot water I don’t care.” He nodded and turned back to get the keys.

You two entered the tiny room slowly and he set you on the edge of the bed, “Sit still for a minute. I want to make sure you don’t have a concussion.”

You let him check you over and as he did so the pain faded slightly, “Bruce. I’m fine. Really.” He looked up at you from where he knelt to get a better look at your arm, worry written all over his face, and you repeated it, “I’m fine. Stop fretting over me like I’m made of glass. I’ve had worse. I just need to take a shower and lay down for a bit.”

He ignored you, not meeting your eyes as he continued to fiddle with your sleeve, “You really scared me (F/n). I thought-”

You put one hand over both of his to still them and used the other to lift his face to meet yours, “This wasn’t your fault. Loki started this. You didn’t hurt me. I ended up falling because I made a bad decision. Right now all you need to know is that I’m safe and your safe and that’s all that matters.”

He just stared at you for a moment, his eyes locked with yours, and then suddenly blurted in one breath, “You are the most exquisite person I have ever met you look gorgeous in that suit I meant to say that earlier but I couldn’t find the right words I’m so sorry.”

You pulled away surprised and he looked disappointed. Quickly recovering, you hesitantly leaned forward and brushed your lips against his briefly and then whispered, “You, Dr. Banner, are the most wonderful and adorable person I’ve ever had the pleasure to know.”

Then you stood and went to take a shower, leaving the blushing doctor glued to the spot with an uncharacteristically goofy grin on his face.


	21. Steam

You stood in front of the mirror of the small bathroom, taking your own assessment of your injuries as well as your appearance. Your braid was beginning to look more like a fat dreadlock and your make-up was pretty much gone.

You gently poked the bruise on your face and then reached around to the back of your head to feel the lump from being thrown against the wall. No wonder your head hurt.

Next, you looked at the hole in your sleeve that revealed a shallow gash that ran diagonally down your arm, you grabbed the end of your sleeve and yanked hard, tearing it off completely. You repeated the action with the other sleeve to even it out, making your suit look like it was meant to be sleeveless.

Peeling it off with a content sigh, you noted that while pretty comfortable it was fairly restricting and it felt good to be rid of it. The water was running and you stepped into its warm embrace, letting it run over you to wash away all the tension, stress, and dirt that had accumulated over the past day. Undoing your knot of a braid, you washed your hair thoroughly before stepping out into the steam filled room.

You grabbed a towel and ran it through your hair a couple of times before wrapping it around yourself and opening the door. Bruce was sitting on the edge of the bed watching the news but seemed like he wasn’t really concentrating on it.

You cleared your throat, “Bathrooms all yours Brucey.”  

“Alright thanks.” he said, glancing at you before turning back to the TV, only to whip around again to stare, his eyes going saucer-wide as he gulped.

You studied the floor, tugging at the edge of your towel slightly before turning to the closet in hopes that this would be one of those motels that had a robe, “Sorry. All I have is the jumpsuit and it’s a mess. I thought maybe I could see if there’s a laundry downstairs while you clean up.”

Bruce was openly staring, he knew it, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. The towel came barely down to your mid-thigh and when you turned it gave him a good view of the line of your back and, he gulped again as his eyes traced it, your rear.

It was short lived though as you found what you were looking for and turned from him to pull it around you. You let the towel fall as you tied the front of the robe and then turned back to him as he quickly looked at the floor, his face red.

Chuckling, you went to him and pressed a gentle kiss on his cheek, “Go shower so I can take your clothes too.”

He turned to look into your eyes, suddenly sounding a little possessive, “You’re going like that?”

You tugged at his sleeve to make him get up, “I want a clean suit and neither of us have any other clothes so… yes, I’m going like this.”

He opened his mouth to protest but you cut him off, “Again Bruce, I’m not helpless,” and then gave him a little shove, “Shower. Now.”

He growled slightly, turning as he got to the bathroom door, “Just… be careful. Any man would be…”

He trailed off and then surprised you, pulling you towards him, arms around your waist, and crashed his lips on yours in a kiss that was unlike any of the others you shared previously.

It was rough but gentle at the same time and extremely passionate. You reciprocated immediately winding your arms up around his neck and allowing his tongue entry when it brushed against your lips.

You played with the curl at the nape of his neck that you had been eyeing for so long, finding it even softer than you imagined, and you felt something bubble up inside you that you hadn’t felt in so long you actually forgot it existed at all.

Bruce couldn’t help but notice that a slight electricity came off your lips as he moved his against yours, but it was different than before. It shocked him ever so slightly in a gentle way that made him want to kiss you more so he could feel it again.

Your powers had decided to let off a combination of heat and a little electricity in response to his actions and he was enjoying it, along with how the fingers of one of your hands had made their way into his hair and the other remained at his neck twirling the lowest of his curls around one finger.

He let one hand travel down to cup your rear as he explored your mouth, having, much to your surprise, won dominance in the battle of tongues, causing you to squeak and pull away.

He panicked slightly, searching your face- had he gone too far? But you smiled and kept your hands in his hair, “Brucey I promise I’ll be careful but we need clean clothes. Now go shower.”

He let you go reluctantly as you let your hands slide to his chest and give him a little push through the door. He sighed, looking at you worriedly, but you just waved him on so he shut the door and pulled off his borrowed clothes and then cracked the door to shove them into your waiting arms.

Leaving him to clean up, you scooped up your suit, adding it to your little pile, and then went in search of a washer and dryer, a huge smile on your face as you skipped off down the hall.  
  



	22. Laundry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok He's definatly OOC in this chapter and the next. I'm sorry. It happened. Get over it.

It seemed like things were destined to go your way because after wandering down a few dimly lit halls you found what you were looking for: a small laundry room and there, on the wall, was a fully stocked first aid kit. Score!

You rummaged around in Bruce’s pants pockets until you found the bundle of money related things you’d given him earlier. After using the change machine in the corner to get change for one of the few small bills that you hadn’t noticed among the larger ones before, you tossed everything into the old washer with some detergent you bought from a machine on the wall and started it.

Turning your attention to the first-aid kit, you pulled out the things you would need to bandage your gash and then realized that because of the angle you would need help. You tucked the supplies in the pocket of your robe for later and went to sit on top of the dryer.

You hummed to yourself as you patiently waited for your clothes, deciding to dry them using your powers so you wouldn’t have to keep Bruce waiting upstairs in only a towel. You giggled at the thought of him blushing as you came in to see his bare chest for the second time that day.

How was he so adorable and nervous but at the same time able to pull stuff like that kiss before you left. What had that been anyways? Ever since he’d kissed you back on the Hellicarrier you noticed he’d become really protective of you and now that you’d told him what you thought of him he was acting a tad possessive.

Not that it was a bad thing, you liked this dominant side of Bruce- it was sexy and you didn’t mind feeling a little wanted and protected. You were chewing your lower lip, thinking everything over, when the washer buzzed that it was done and you noticed you weren’t alone.

A burly looking man had come in while you were lost in thought and was now leering at you with a creepy smile on his face, you frowned at him and slid off the dryer to retrieve your clothes and make a swift exit.

Apparently, the man had other ideas because as soon as you turned your back to him, he moved to pin you against the washer, reaching you just as you turned to face him, “What’s a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this in the middle of the night?”

You glared at him warningly, “I suggest you back away and let me leave or there’ll be trouble.”

He chuckled darkly, “So cute acting tough but I think I’ll stay here and do this.” He pulled you to him, his hands grasping your backside roughly, one leg shoved between your unprotected thighs, and pressed his lips harshly against yours.

Anger and fear welled up inside you and you let loose, throwing him against the wall as hard as you could with a cutting gust of wind accompanied with little shards of ice. You didn’t stop to see the result, grabbing your clothes and bolting back in the direction of the room.

You slammed the door shut behind you, locking it, before sliding to the floor, taking deep breaths to try and calm both your advanced breathing and the anger that was welling up inside you.

Bruce walked out of the bathroom just then, one towel wrapped around his waist and another in his hand to ruffle his hair dry. He had heard the door and was glad you were back, “Hey Sunshine, were you successful?”

He looked toward the main part of the room expecting to find you there, sitting on the bed, and frowned when you weren’t.

You took this moment to scramble up from the floor, not wanting to worry him, and pushed past to where he had been looking, setting the clothes on the bed, “Yeah I was. Just give me a sec to dry them.”

He noticed something was off immediately, your breathing was heavy and you were pale, but your actions distracted him as you hovered your hands over the wet clothes, pulling all the moisture out of them and into your palms before allowing your hands to heat up so it would evaporate.

Before he could even blink, you had grabbed your suit and nudged your way past him into the bathroom, shutting the door forcefully behind you.

Now he knew something was wrong, he turned to knock on the door, “(F/n)? What happened?” No answer. He began to wonder if it was something he did. Maybe he was moving to fast… or not fast enough. It had been a long time since he'd been in a relationship. 

He knocked again, softer this time but just as insistent, “If it was something I did or said, I’m sorry… just please come-“

You swung the door open and threw your arms around him, “No no no. You’re perfect. I’m sorry.”

“What is it then?” he asked, relieved that it wasn’t something he did but now even more worried over the actual reason.

You buried your face into his bare chest and he stroked the long tresses that fell freely down your back comfortingly, then you quietly mumbled, “I sorta… threw a guy into a wall.”

He stopped, “Oh… that’s probably not good.”

You nodded into his chest, agreeing, and he followed up, “Can I ask why?”  

“You can but you're not going to like it.”

He kissed the top of your head, “I can handle it.”

You let out a heavy sigh, “Uh… well he kinda pinned me to the washer and then kissed me.”

Anger welled up in Bruce quicker than it had in a while, you felt his breathing increase rapidly and pulled away to look in his eyes. They were beginning to turn slightly green.

He was going to lose it if you didn’t act quickly, you cupped his face forcing him to look at you, “Bruce, sweetie, I need you to take a deep breath.”

“But-“

“It’s alright. I’m fine and he got what he deserved. Just breath.”

He growled and opened his mouth to protest again, “Did I mention that I also threw some ice shards in the mix.”

That got him, he let out a deep sigh and loosened all the tension in his form, pulling you as close to him as he could, “I told you not to go like that.”

“I know. You were right. Now I’d appreciate it if you would put some clothes on.”

He flushed red but didn’t let you go, you tilted your face up to look at him so your chin was resting on his chest, “Bruce?”

He looked down at you after a moment, smiled, and then kissed your nose, “Yeah I should do that. Shouldn’t I?”  
  



	23. Doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOCNESS EVERYWHERE! DEAL

Bruce loosened his grip on you and you pulled away to look at the door so he could change. You stood there awkwardly until he called,  “I’m done.”

Turning, you chose to examine the floor, suddenly remembering Loki’s words, and your thoughts started to race,  ‘How could he love me… I just threw a man into a wall and then ran. Again. Who does that? Fury was right. I’m a liability… a danger to my fellow man. I mean I couldn’t even do laundry without having some sort of incident. The simplest of tasks and I managed to mess it up… what if I killed him? I should have at least checked to make sure he was alive. I guess, being the murderer that I am, I just didn’t care, I warned him after all. So I ran. To what exactly? What is Bruce to me? Anger buddies with benefits? Friend?

For the second time since he’d met you, Bruce watched you think and your expressions change and he was reminded of all the things he’d wanted to ask you earlier but hadn’t gotten the chance.

You looked upset now, like you had in the hall when it had rained, and after a moment you brought your hands up to cover your face. He stepped forward hesitantly, wondering what brought this on.

You came out of your thoughts as Bruce approached you and noticed that your head was beginning to throb again and your arm had started bleeding. Remembering your earlier luck a little bitterly, you glanced up at Bruce, “I found some first-aid stuff downstairs, would you mind fixing up my arm? I can’t quite get to it myself.”

“Of course. Come sit and I’ll grab it. Where-?”

“Pocket of that robe”

He nodded and went to retrieve it while you shuffled over and sat on the bed. He came and knelt next to you, gently rubbing an antiseptic pad over the gash.

He looked up at you, “You know you can talk to me right?”

You nodded and he sighed, “Let me rephrase that: Please talk to me.” 

 

You raised your eyes slightly to look at him, he was giving you the most adorable sad puppy dog eyes, and you sighed defeated, “Well played, Banner. What do you want me to talk about?”

He grinned, looking back to his work on your arm, “How about what’s bothering you now?”  

You pulled one knee up so you could rest your chin on it, “What is this? Between us I mean?”

He didn’t look up, but slowed what he was doing, “I’d like to think we’re together. I mean I certainly would not be happy if you went traipsing off with Thor.”

“Thor? Really?”

“You looked pretty taken with him when you met him.”

“I almost electrocuted the whole ship when Tony suggested we were together and what you took from that was I was ‘taken with’ Thor?” you responded sarcastically.  

He chuckled, “I hadn’t thought of it that way. Point is I want you to be mine and only mine. That is… if that’s what you want.”

“Do you really mean that?”

He looked up at you finally, “Every word.”

You took that in for a moment and he asked you another question, “Why were you crying before?”

You gaped a little wondering how to explain, “I-I went to see Loki after… after the lab.  He said I run away from everything, that I’m weak, a murderer and a monster with no hopes of being anything more and…”

“What else?” Bruce pressed calmly.

“and that you could never love someone like me.”

To your surprise, Bruce laughed, “And you believed him? I could smell eight kinds crazy on that guy.”

You looked at the floor a little ashamed, but Bruce finished with your arm and then kissed the top of your fingers gently, “And he was wrong.”

He sat next to you and pulled you to his side, kissing your temple.

You looked up at him and began to babble, “Are you sure? I mean I spent like more than half my life stuck on that ship so I’m basically a gremlin. I never went to college and I don’t exactly have a good track record with relationships friendly or romantic. I pretty much either end up killing them or at the very least hurting them pretty severely not to mention-“

Bruce pressed a finger over your lips, “I’m sure. You are not a gremlin, you enjoy the sky too much, you may not have gone to college but you are one of the smartest people I know, and all those other people weren’t me.”

You nodded, looking at your lap to think about what he said, and he took a deep breath and turned the question on you, “Are you sure?”

You looked up at him confused and he continued, “I could turn into a giant green rage monster at any moment and that would be it, I’m not exactly the best at relationships either, and I’m basically a hermit.”

You chuckled and gave him a little shove when you realized that even as he was being serious, he was also mocking you slightly, “I’m sure. I assure you that it is the most attractive shade of green I have ever seen, you’re adorable when your nervous, and I’m not the most social person so we’re good there.”

He rested his forehead on yours, eyes closed and you suddenly blurted, “Yes.”

He didn’t pull away but opened his eyes to look questioningly into yours, “Yes? Yes, what?”

“I’ll be yours and only yours if…”

“If what?”

“If you’ll be mine and only mine.”

“Done. I was yours that first day when I slipped my hand into yours. I just didn’t know it yet.”

He was about to kiss you when you let your head fall to his shoulder, he chuckled, “Well that wasn’t the response I was expecting. Was it too cheesy?”

You shook your head ever so slightly, “It was perfect, cheesy but perfect. My head just hurts.”

He sighed and lifted your face gently to look at you, “Well you don’t have a concussion but that bruise looks pretty bad.” You bit your lip and he noticed, “There’s something else isn’t there.” 

You took his a hand in yours and guided it around to the lump on the back of your head, he sighed, “That's quite a bump. Want to tell me how you got that?”

You shook your head and he didn't press, “Alright then. To bed. Doctor’s orders.”

He didn’t have to tell you twice, you crawled up and under the covers and he hesitantly laid down on his back on the opposite end of the bed from you, not wanting you to think he was pressuring you or anything.

You were to tired to even notice, falling asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow, and after a watching you sleep for a bit Bruce did too.


	24. Sunshine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's mega fluffy. Deal. Next chapters are all action so i had to leave you all with some fluff for the road.

Bruce woke the next morning with you snuggled against him and his arm around you, when he pulled away slightly, you whimpered so he put his arm back and you snuggled in closer with a content sigh.

He watched you sleep for a moment, noting how peaceful you looked with your soft lips parted ever so slightly and your hair tousled around your face, and then tried to move again.

You stirred this time, burying your face against him after shivering slightly and mumbling, “cold.” It was then that he noticed that the entirety of the thin bedding was wrapped tightly around you and, when he replaced his hand, that your skin was unnaturally cold.

He tugged you a little closer, wondering if this was normal, and you stirred again, wrapping an arm around his waist tightly and rubbing your cheek against him slightly, mumbling, “So warm.” He chuckled softly at how adorably innocent you seemed and the soft rumble woke you, your eyes flickering open and a small yawn escaping your mouth.

“Good morning Sunshine” he breathed sleepily in a low voice.

“Hmm…morning.” You responded, snuggling your face into the warm mass beneath you, not eager to fully wake up, when you suddenly noticed it was breathing.

You shot straight up and looked back at Bruce, “Oh my-I am so sorry. I must have gotten cold and you’re so warm. I-I-”

Bruce pulled you back to him, chuckling again, “It’s alright (F/n). Think of me as your own personal radiator.”

You laughed, melting back into his embrace, “You know… I like the sound of that.”

“Do you always get cold like that?”

You nodded, “I’ve never quite been able to figure that out. My best guess is that I liked it cold when I slept before the accident and somehow my powers picked up on that. Now I have a hard time keeping warm.”  

He rolled, taking you with him, so that he could wrap himself protectively around you as he tried to give you as much of his heat as he could. You tangled your legs with his, messing with the front of his shirt a little, before looking up into his warm chocolate eyes.

He looked back at you sleepily and then tilted his head down to you, letting his nose rest lightly against yours. You let out a content sigh and your eyes flickered closed, enjoying the moment as sleep threatened to take over again.

You were truly peaceful for the first time in a very long time. No emotions to keep battened down, no threats, no insecurities… just sleep and warmth and you and Bruce.

A loud noise rang through the room causing both of you to jump and shoot up tensely. You groaned realizing its source, the alarm clock you had set when you first arrived, and covered your face with your hands.

Bruce smashed the thing rather forcefully and then flopped back, attempting to pull you with him but you resisted, you knew if he succeeded you would never get up, “Come on Brucey, time to get up and save the world.”

He sat up slowly, “I had almost forgotten about that.”

You ruffled his hair and went to get ready, straightening out your suit and throwing your utility belt around your waist before combing your fingers through your hair.

Bruce watched you as you started a French braid at the top of your head, you noticed and turned to smile at him while continuing your braid, and he moved to get up, “Alright Sunshine. Let’s go tear up New York… literally.”

“Sunshine? Where’d that come from?” you asked, tilting your head at him in confusion.

“You don’t like it?” he worried, giving you that nervous smile that you adored.

“I didn’t say that. Just wondered why you chose it.” You countered, turning back to the mirror.

Bruce grinned, wrapping his arms around you from behind, “It suits you, my sunshine girl. You are a brilliant little ray of sunshine in my otherwise gray world.”

You finished your braid and turned to face him, “That is the cheesiest, most utterly adorable thing I have ever heard.”

He grinned, “So cheesy is good?”

You laughed, giving him a quick kiss, “Only with you. Now come on we’ve got to get to New York.”  
  



	25. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Action action action. I followed the movie pretty closely for the next few. Fightings not really my thing.

A short while later you were holding on to Bruce as he maneuvered through the rubble-covered streets of New York. You cursed yourself for not having a way to communicate with the rest of the team as you scanned for signs of your friends in the chaos playing out around you.

There was a scream from somewhere close by and you leaned forward to ask Bruce to stop, slinging yourself off the bike when he did.

He frowned at you, “Where are you going?”

You pointed in the direction of the scream just as it came again, “I can help. You go ahead and find the others. I’ll catch up.”

He gave you a disapproving look.

 

 

“Bruce we’re in the middle of a battlefield swarming with countless enemies. You have to stop trying to protect me and let me do what I’ve been trained to do.”

This seemed to get through to him as he sighed and then looked at you with a concerned smile, “I know you’re a force to be reckoned with but be careful.”

You grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into a quick but passionate kiss before flashing a mischievous grin, “I’ll try but no promises.”

You let your hands catch fire and then took off at a sprint towards the screams, leaving Bruce to shake his head and grin at the passion you could conjure up in an instant.

You still hadn’t rejoined him when he came across the group of Avengers, bringing the rickety bike to a stop as the team came to meet him, “Well this all seems a little… horrible”

Steve paged Tony, “We got him. Banner. Just like you said.”

“What about (F/n)?”

Steve turned to ask the question on everyone’s mind but Tony interrupted him, “Hold that thought. I’m bringing the party to you.”

A massive flying creature crashed through the building following Tony and flying low, Natasha looked puzzled for a second, “I-I don’t see how that’s a party.”

It advanced rather quickly and it was time for Bruce to do his thing. He turned to Hulk out and just as he was growing and turning green the front half of the leviathan froze solid, making the impact of his punch shatter a good portion of it as he was pushed back.

You swung yourself up from the side of the bridge to land gracefully next to Clint, sheltering yourself behind a car from the exploding battle whale.  You grinned at him as he gave you an incredulous look, “Nice to have you back Hawk.”

“You’re a little late to the party dollface.” Tony quipped noticing your sudden presence as the team circled up.  

“Fashionably late Stark. You’re not the only one who likes to make a grand entrance.” You shot back.

The Hulk grunted at you and you grinned up at him, “Sorry sweetie. I got a little distracted before.”

Everyone but Tony looked at you like you’d gone crazy but the Hulk smiled back at you and patted your head carefully as if forgiving you for not showing up sooner.

“Well, that’s something I never thought I’d see,” Clint said a little dumbfounded, the other’s nodding in agreement.

“Hey Ice Queen you should write a book when this is over: How to Tame the Hulk and Live,” Tony remarked.

You shot Tony a glare and suddenly the group went silent. No one wanted to be the one who told you. You spun to look at each of them, “What? Seriously we’re a little short on time here. One of you out with it.”

Steve, being the leader stepped forward, “Agent Coulson’s dead.”

It got cold as you covered your face and let out a single sob before letting out a slow but growing maniacal laugh. The group backed away from you slightly as you raised your face to reveal a wicked grin, your eyes a strange pale shade of green, and your hands suddenly burst into flames.

Your voice was uncommonly cold as you seethed, “Loki’s arrogance will be his undoing for I this time shall not run away but towards his demise by my own hand. His greatest mistake was giving me a reason to emerge from the shadows and revel in the power I’ve tried so hard to hide.”

You let the fire envelope your entire body before looking to the sky and letting out what could only be called a battle cry, “I will be your end Loki. No trickery can hide you from me.”

The Hulk roared with you and Steve took a hesitant step forward, “(F/n)?”

Your head snapped to face him, locking pale green eyes with his blue ones, and you flashed a malevolent grin, “I am with you, Captain. Until the end.”

The group just stared for a moment and then Tony stated, “Well I don’t think Ice Queen is going to work anymore…”

You giggled evilly, rolling your eyes, “Give it time Metal Man. I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”

You knew beneath the mask Tony was about to protest you calling him that but Steve, having recovered from his shock at your new state, started handing out orders- Clint to the rooftops, Thor and Tony to the skies, he and Natasha on the ground, and Hulk…Smash. He faltered when he came to you, not really knowing your strengths. 

 

“I’ll do the most damage on the ground with you and Tash but I can take to the buildings if I need to.” You offered.

“Then you’ll stay with us for the time being. Use your best discretion and go where you are needed as we can hold here without you.”

You nodded and the battle continued.


	26. Revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lololol more action. Just to prove your a total BAMF

Things got heated quickly, Chitauri swarming your position, and you threw everything you had at them, no reserve. You worked in tandem with Tash, freezing incoming aliens so she could shatter them with a gunshot, and with Steve, throwing bolts of electricity and fire off his shield.

You simultaneously did what you could to help fleeing citizens, dousing flames with streams of water and throwing up walls of stone in between them and oncoming enemies.

It felt good to be on the ground again, power pulsing through you to feed your anger and your anger in turn feeding the power, you were properly out of control. It was liberating.

In a small lull, you helped Cap throw Tasha to an air speeder and then defended your position back to back with him, Tony joining you momentarily before speeding off up a building again.

Chitauri fell like flies by your hand and occasionally you threw gales of wind up in the air above you, hitting the air speeders that whizzed by. You kept tabs on your teammates, in case you were needed, and smirked as Thor took down a leviathan with a large thunderbolt and the Hulk smashed through a building into another.

After a bit, you looked up and saw the thing go down. You grinned, knowing that it was Bruce's doing, but what you didn’t know was he had just punched Thor across the room, no doubt due to residual jealousy.

You turned back to your task, launching yourself off Cap’s shoulder and over an incoming group of enemies, taking them out from above with a blast of fire and landing skillfully on the other side. You gave a quick curtsy earning you a small smile from Steve before the two of you continued the fight.

You looked up and spotted Loki after Natasha and turned to Cap, “Throw me.” 

“What?” 

You grabbed the edge of his shield, “Just throw me. Now.” 

He didn’t question you again and sent the shield spinning. You held on tight, pulling air to you to create a tornado with you suspended in its center, before sending the shield flying back to Cap.

You hit a leviathan straight on with enough force to send it crashing into a building before joining Hawkeye on his perch, throwing the tornado at a group of nearby air speeders and then remotely controlling its path to take out as many of them as you could.

“Can you point that thing over there?” Clint asked, nodding to the portal in the sky.

You chuckled, “Is the sky blue?” moving your arms in a throwing motion, and the tornado centered itself under the portal, eating up anything that came out of it. You let it do its worst and turned your attention to throwing fireballs at anything within range.

Your nose had begun to leak a trickle of blood as you used more of your powers with more force than you ever had previously and if you had taken a moment you would have felt the intense pain stabbing at your head.

But now was not the time for that. When the next leviathan came close you threw yourself on to it, shoving your hands between its armor to heat it as much as you could and the thing let out a howl but didn’t go down.

You turned up the intensity of the heat, burning your hands as you passed the limit of what you were immune to, and you smirked as the beast thrashed.

Tony pulled up beside you, “Need some help sweetcheeks?”

“An assist would be nice.” You said turning to face him.

He noticed the blood dripping from your nose and that you were pale, “You aren’t looking so hot (F/n)…”

You looked him over with a raised eyebrow before responding, “Speak for yourself. Now I’m gonna freeze this sucker and if, when I’m done, you could give it a little blast that would be great.”

You turned and shoved your hands down onto it, letting the ice spread from them. When you pulled back Tony hit it with a blast and the entire thing shattered like a hunk of glass.

You pushed some air beneath you to slow your fall and landed conveniently in between Thor and Cap. You continued fighting until the next thing you knew Tony was speeding toward the closing portal. What the hell was going on?

You were wishing you had a communicator like some of your teammates when suddenly Tony was falling. Your eyes went wide and Thor stepped forward to help but before he could get any further, you threw everything you had left in you into a solid air column to bring him down slowly.

He slowed considerably and then Hulk launched himself off a building to catch his still falling form. You coughed up some blood but no one noticed, all eyes on Tony. You wiped it away and fell to your knees beside him as the Hulk set him down and Thor tore off his mask.

You growled, “I’ve already lost one of the people I trust today and I sure as Hell won’t lose another.”

You pushed air into him as best you could, considering that that stunt before had drained you cripplingly, and the Hulk roared and smashed the ground.

Tony’s eyes bolted open, “What just happened? Please tell me no one kissed me.”

You let out a sigh of relief and hugged him despite the suit blocking any actual contact, “Actually I wouldn’t mind if (F/n) kissed me.”

You pulled away, “Don’t push your luck, Tony.” The Hulk let out a warning growl.

Tony raised his hands in defense, “Alright! I get it. Hands off the hot chick.” 

Steve pulled him up and turned to look at Stark Tower, “Come on we’ve got some unfinished business to attend to.”


	27. Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry If this is uneventful and awkward. i just wanted to get the story moving again... that and I'm running on no sleep. Art student FTW

Loki. You wanted to rip his head off and play with it. It would be so… satisfying. You pushed the thought from your mind, trying to reign in the maniacal alter ego that had surfaced when you lost control.  You did allow yourself to enjoy the fact that he was smashed into a crater and chuckled darkly, but quickly stopped when you saw the sad expression on Thor’s face.

Family is family and, while Coulson had been the closest thing you had to family and you felt his loss down to your very core, you knew that killing Loki would only place that hurt on Thor. You fell in next to Tony and the Hulk, glad you had pretty much exhausted your powers because you wouldn’t have been able to control yourself in Loki’s presence otherwise.

You focused intensely on bringing fire to your hands in order to look threatening, a task that had been so easy for you earlier but was now exhausting. You managed to get them alight and the Avengers, your team, adopted a formation and stance that screamed ‘you lose, you pretty boy asshole.’

It was over.

You let your hands go out with a sigh of relief as Loki surrendered and Thor clapped some special magicy cuff things on him… at least that’s how you saw it. You were too tired to try and make actual sense of the whole thing, wiping at the blood that had begun to trickle from your nose again.

You flopped on to the ruined couch and closed your eyes, trying to bring yourself back into control of both your actions and your personality. You could hear the others talking about various things but pushed it out until you felt someone take hold of your hand and begin to mess with it.

Your eyes fluttered open to find Bruce, dressed in clothes obviously borrowed from Tony, gently tending to the second-degree burns that covered most of your hands and part of your forearm. You looked down at your hands now, noticing the injury for the first time and then back up to Bruce who looked up to meet your gaze.

There was concern in his eyes but also something else. You tilted your head slightly as you tried to put a finger on it. Pride. It was pride mixed with respect and it was meant for you, he was proud of you. You grinned at him and shifted so your arms were at a better angle for him to work.

“You did a smashing job out there today Brucey.” You teased, getting him to shake his head and chuckle, “You’ve been spending too much time around Tony.”

You laughed and mussed his hair with the hand he’d just finished bandaging and Tony bounced over having heard his name, “What was that? Are you two having a little anger buddies powwow?”

You smiled at him widely, “I was just saying what a smashing job Bruce here did out in the field today.”

Tony smirked, adding in a mock accent, “I agree (F/N). He was quite brilliant on this smashing day.”

You snickered, “And he looked absolutely smashing while doing it.”

Bruce groaned, “Alright guys. Enough.”

You and Tony dissolved into a fit of giggles and he rolled over the back of the couch and into your lap, “Come on bro. We’re just having a little bit of fun. It could be worse.”

You ran your fingers through his hair, grinning and nodding, “Much worse.”

Bruce frowned at the two of you, “I was right you two are spending way too much time together. Tony, you’re a bad influence. Get off her.”

“I think I deserve a little attention. I almost died you know. Besides (F/n) doesn’t mind. Right?” Tony responded, smiling up at you.

You poked his cheek playfully, “Not at all Mr. Stark.”

Tony wiggled, “I like it when you call me Mr. Stark, it sends shivers down my spine, now if you could do it again in my bed-“

“Tony,” Bruce growled.

Tony grinned at his friend mischievously, winding his arms around your neck and pushing his cheek to yours, “What is it Brucey? You jealous? It’s not like the two of you are together or anything.”

You and Bruce exchanged glances, a blush coloring both your cheeks. The two of you had agreed on the way here that in order to avoid teasing you would keep your relationship under wraps in front of the others. Unfortunately, it seemed Tony could find a way to tease you either way.

“Stop Tony,”  Bruce demanded, a hint of anger in his voice

“Or what you’ll go green? I think (F/n)’s got us covered there.”

Bruce’s jealousy was toppled by a wave of confusion, “What?”

You sighed, you knew Tony wasn’t going to let that go, and shoved him off you, “Leave it be Tony.”

Tony ignored you, “The Big Guy was like putty in her hands, even patted her pretty little head…” Bruce furrowed his brows in thought and Tony, directing his attention to you, added, “Really (F/n) you need to teach me how to do that. Unless it involves sex, I wouldn’t want you to have to compete with this perfection.”

You were quick to recover, shooting back, “It’s probably because we’re anger buddies Tony. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“You’re just jealous cause I’m prettier than you. Right Brucey?”

You punched him and Bruce retorted, “Sorry Stark. (F/n)’s got you beat there and stop calling me Brucey, only people I like can call me that.”

You giggled, “Haha Tony, Bruce likes me more.”

“Dude seriously? What happened to bros before hoes?”

Tony jumped when Natasha slunk up behind him, “And (F/n) would be the hoe in that situation? Think over your answer carefully, Stark. Your life may depend on it.”

You chuckled as Tony eyes went wide, “That’s not what I- I wasn’t- Who wants Shwarma? I could really go for some Shwarma right now. Cap? Thor? Shwarma?"


	28. Steal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A stolen moment between the end and Shwarma... I'm wrapping this up guys... only like 5 or 6 more chapters and then its over. probably.

After a small argument over what you should do with your prisoner, Thor locked Loki in a closet so you could all go have something to eat, a much-needed break from the craziness of late. You and Bruce hung back, promising to catch up, with the excuse that he needed to rebandage one of your hands that you had ‘accidentally’ caused to come undone.

Your friends happily went ahead, out of hunger and in an attempt to give you two some alone time. They may not have known you were already together but the group wasn’t oblivious to the obvious chemistry between the two of you.

As soon as they left he pulled you close, wrapping his arms tightly around you, and you sighed, “We did good Bruce. We did good.”

He pushed you away to look at your face, searching it, “Are you going to be alright? I know you and Coulson were…your eyes…”

He seemed to lose his train of thought as he noticed the pale green orbs that looked back at him, you blinked a couple of times, confused, “Are they still that strange green?”

He nodded and you sighed, “That explains why I feel like I need to keep going even though I’m exhausted and the lack of pain from my hands.” In this state, your powers propelled you forward, sometimes almost dangerously so, and also blocked pain from any non-life threatening injuries.

Reminded of the reason you had used to stay behind, he pulled you over to the counter top where the first aid kit was and lifted you on to it, “Should I be worried they haven’t gone back to normal?”

You thought for a moment, swinging your legs, before shaking your head, “I don’t think so. They should fade once I’ve had a chance to process everything.”

He nodded, focusing on your hand, and you used the other to bring his face up to look at you, gently rubbing your thumb across his cheek. His brown eyes locked with yours and you noticed they where rimmed ever so slightly with green, “What about you? I can tell something’s bothering you.”

Bruce covered the hand on his face with his but looked down, “What Tony said… Is it true?”  

You watched him for a second and then giggled, “Stop worrying so much. You didn’t hurt me. In fact the Other Guy was pretty gentle.”

This only seemed to confuse him further and he looked up to search your face for the truth, “Really?”

You grinned, “I swear Bruce. The Other Guy just patted my head, as a way of forgiving me for being late, and then there was also a growl when Tony said he would have liked to kiss me. Nothing violent. Seems he’s taken a shine to me.”

“That’s new.” He grumbled, tucking in the last bit of bandage before you reached to pull him directly in front of you.

You rested your hands on his shoulders reassuringly, “I would say that this development is a rather positive one, Dr. Banner. The likelihood of any one of those scenarios that were running through your head before, with the Hulk hurting me, actually happening is greatly diminished.”

He looked worried as you said it but by the time you were done there was adoration in his eyes, he stepped forward so he was between your legs and let his hands rest on your hips,  “You’re cute when you get all logical and formal.”

You tangled your arms around his neck and your hands into his hair, pouting, “Just cute?”

He gave a deep suggestive chuckle, resting his forehead on yours, “Well... also really sexy. Especially when you’re right,” You smirked and he crashed his lips against yours.

The adrenaline of your victory and the residual effects of both your abilities made you each bolder than normal. You wrapped your legs around his waist and he lifted you from the counter, his hands drifting lower to cup your hindquarters. You smirked into the kiss, allowing him access to your mouth when he bit your lower lip softly, and he moved toward the couch until he could set you on its back.

His hands roamed up your form, fingers trailing along your sensitive sides and stomach, and you let out a little moan into his mouth. His hands continued to roam upwards to pull at the zipper of your suit, while you pulled away for air and began to kiss down the line of his jaw, stopping to nip at his neck lightly when he let out a moan of his own signaling you’d found his sensitive spot.

He pulled you flush to him crashing his lips against yours only to pull away again, “We should catch up to the others before they start getting any ideas... or send someone to check.”

You closed your eyes, rested your forehead on his, and let out a frustrated groan, panting, “You're right… Promise me we’ll continue this later?”

He smirked, “Without a doubt.”

You leaned back from him and held up your little finger, “Pinky Promise?”

He grinned, shaking his head as he realized that this was obviously going to be a common occurrence between the two of you, and linked his finger with yours, “Pinky Promise.”  
  



	29. Shwarma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short. I know. I'm trying to decide where to take this. So have so Shwarma time filler.

Bruce kept an arm around your waist as you walked through the rubble filled streets, avoiding some of the people beginning to emerge. When you reached a fairly flat stretch, you leaned your head on his shoulder and closed your eyes, letting him guide you.

After a while he slowed a little, “Sunshine?”

“Hmm?”

“We’re here.”

You opened your eyes and sure enough you stood outside a small Shwarma restaurant, you sighed and pulled away from him. He smiled that soft smile at you, making your heart flip and a grin play across your face. You grabbed his hand, “Come on Brucey. I’m starved.”

Feeling some energy return to you, you pulled him the extra few yards to and through the door at a brisk skip, finding that you had arrived just in time to order with the rest of your group.

Tony’s eyes flicked between you and Bruce and then down to your still connected hands before his lips twisted into a smirk. You were too busy trying to decide what you wanted to notice but Bruce did, clearing his throat, “Uh (F/n)…”

You turned your head to look at him, “Yeah?”

He looked down at your hands and you jumped back slightly, letting go of him, “Oh sorry! I just got so excited about the prospect of food.”

You blushed red, not out of embarrassment over holding his hand but for forgetting that you didn’t want the others to know. You flashed Bruce an apologetic look and he smiled a soft nervous smile at you to let you know it was ok.

You turned your back to him again and returned to having trouble deciding, you pouted, “Tonyyyy what is all this stuff? I have no idea what’s good.”

Steve nodded in agreement, looking up at the extensive menu with a little frown, and Tony wrapped an arm around you, “That’s part of the fun. Just pick something.”

You whined at him, “But it’s hard.”

You heard Bruce chuckle from behind you as Tony rolled his eyes, “Fine, since neither of you are about to make a decision anytime soon, I’ll order for you and Cap so we can get this show on the road.”

Steve looked a little relieved and you grinned, giving Tony a quick peck on the cheek, “Thank you Tony.”

He smirked at Bruce, who, to his surprise, seemed unphased by your little show of affection. He knew that you were his and that he would get more from you than Tony ever would so there was no point in getting angry. You grabbed Thor and Steve dragging them to the table where Clint and Natasha had already settled in. You sat down in an open chair and slumped over the table, your sudden energy diminishing as rapidly as it had arrived, and were joined a moment later by Bruce and Tony who sat on either side of you.

You dozed lightly with your head on the table, relishing the silence with the rest of your team, and after a bit you felt a hand on your back. The food was here. You sat up, giving Bruce a grateful glance for waking you, and then gave your attention to the food in front of you.

Everyone dug in and you took a big bite of yours, chewing it thoughtfully and swallowing before making a little face at what was left. Bruce stifled a chuckle and switched his basket with yours since he already knew he liked what you had and was pretty sure you would like what he’d ordered. You blinked at the new basket in front of you as if you weren’t sure where it had come from, then let out a grateful sigh and dug in.

Tony watched the whole exchange with narrowed eyes, suspicious of how the two of you seemed to be communicating without even looking at each other. You didn’t care. You were too hungry and too tired to care. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, sitting in total silence, so you focused on eating, not wanting to get caught up in your own at the moment. They would be too troubled to bring about anything good.


	30. Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN.

It wasn’t until you were all walking back to Stark Tower that your let your mind take over. Clint and Natasha walked behind you, doing that silent conversation thing they always did. In front of you, Bruce, Thor, and Tony were having a conversation about-waffles? You didn’t even know but Thor was getting rather animated. You walked in between the two groups with Steve at your side, both of you tired and quiet.

You looked up at him and he managed a small grin, which you returned, and then the two of you continued to walk in a comfortable silence. You sighed internally, ‘I might as well sort through everything. At least right now I won’t have to worry about my powers acting up.”

Taking a deep breath, you started working your way backward through the events of the day, back to the point where you had lost control. You saw Tony falling, yourself fighting, the leviathan incident that had given you your burns, the tornado, Cap and Tasha, and finally that moment. 

You replayed it in your head over and over, everyone avoiding eye contact and Steve stepping forward. Each time you felt the rush of emotion that had taken over and, after a few replays, you paused there to sort out its exact contents.

Working backward, anger came first, overwhelmingly so. It was anger that had driven your actions during the battle. This explained the maniacal personality because, depending on what emotion pushed you, your personality fractured slightly to reflect it. It was still you underneath but on the outside you changed completely, adopting a radical type of personality to reflect your state.

You worked your way back further, finding bits of fear and hopelessness, what would you do now that he was gone? He’d been like an older brother to you, protecting you and making sure you smiled.

You pushed back even further and found sadness and sorrow akin only to the moment when you’d lost your father. That would be hard to get rid of, if you could even get rid of it at all.

You finally came to the emotion that began it all- a mixture of shock and disbelief. It had only lasted seconds but it was strong. How could he be gone?

You stopped there, at the end of your little rewind, and let yourself slip into the memories.

~~~~Flashback~~~~

You trailed behind Fury as he briskly strode down the halls of the Helicarrier, your new home. You hadn’t said a word since he forced you to join Shield, a fact that you found mattered very little as Fury had no desire to talk to you and the other agents either ignored your existence or inspected you carefully like some sort of specimen and then spoke about you as if you weren’t there.

When Fury stopped abruptly, you ran rather forcefully into his leather-clad back, causing you to grip at your nose in pain. You looked up expecting him to be frowning disappointedly down at you but instead found a new face, leaning to be eye level with you, “Are you alright?”

You jumped slightly at being spoken to for the first time in awhile and also from surprise at the concern that laced the voice before nodding vigorously. The man gave a small, secretive grin, straightening to his full height and stretching out a hand, “I’m Agent Coulson, but you can call me Phil.”

Fury went to introduce you, thinking you weren’t going to respond, but before he could you grasped the hand and offered, “(F/n) (L/n). Everyone just calls me (sF/n). Nice to meet you, Agent Coulson.”

Your voice was hoarse from disuse but you shook his hand firmly and gave a small shy smile, the first in weeks. Maybe being on this ship wouldn’t be so bad after all.

It was Phil who introduced you to Clint and Natasha. Phil who remembered your birthday that first year on the ship and brought you cake and a gift. Phil who made you smile when you were feeling down. Phil who kept you from Fury’s wrath.

After a year on the ship, you felt as at home as you ever would- you had friends, knew your way around, and got assigned things to do in the many labs onboard. It wasn’t ideal but it was your life and you’d resigned yourself to enjoy it.

You moved down the hallway at a leisurely pace, on your way to your training room, when you were suddenly pulled into a room and shoved against the wall. You blinked in shock, recognizing your attacker, a high-level agent who had just recently joined Shield and seemed to have had it out for you since day one.

You focused on your breathing, trying to stay calm, “Please let me down, Agent Jackson.”

Your plea was met with a sneer, “Or what? Your little bird and spider friends are gonna get me? Or maybe you think Coulson and Fury will come to your aid since you’ve got them wrapped around your little finger? Well, look around. They’re not here.”

You felt fear rise up in you, not for yourself but for him. He wasn’t going to let you go and he didn’t know what he was dealing with, he thought you were just some lab geek.

You tried to neutralize the situation by showing him you weren’t defenseless, kicking him in the balls and then throwing him to the ground, but he wasn’t exactly defenseless either. After a short tussle, you ended up throwing him forcefully against a wall with your abilities to knock him out and then you bailed.

When Fury had found out he threw you in the cage for a week without even hearing your side of the story, reckless use of your powers was not tolerated for any reason. You were only in there an hour before the door opened and voice said, “You are free to go.”

Confused you went to your room, shaken both over being attacked and then being imprisoned, even though it was only momentarily, and when the door opened Coulson was waiting for you.

You took one look at him and knew he was the one who got you out, throwing your arms around him in a grateful hug. You never saw Agent Jackson again and later Fury even apologized for “being too hard on you.”

~~~~End Flashback~~~~

You had so many memories like that and now he was gone.

You were pulled from your memories by a throbbing in your head and a soft voice calling your name, “(F/n)?”

You shook your head, trying to focus on reality, and turned in the direction of the voice. It was Steve. He was looking at you with furrowed brows and his blue eyes where filled with surprise and worry, “Are you alright?”

You gave him a quizzical look before you felt the tears on your cheeks. Wiping them away quickly you responded, “Yeah Steve. I’m good. Just got lost in a memory is all.”

He gave you an understanding nod, he knew what it was like to fall into a moment of reliving the past, and you both focused on the road ahead again. You suddenly felt really tired and when your hands started to throb, your brows knit together, “Steve what color are my eyes?”

He gave you an odd look before he realized why you were asking and you looked up at him so he could check, “They’re back to (e/c)… (F/n) you’re bleeding…”

You reached up to find that your nose was bleeding again. Finally able to think clearly, you noted all the times it had happened that day that you had ignored, remembering suddenly the blood you’d coughed up as well.

Steve watched as you went impossibly pale, the flow of blood from your nose increasing from a trickle to a gush, and started to wobble, “(F/n)!?”

He seemed so far away then, like you were watching him through a tunnel and his voice had to travel down it to get to you, and your head felt like something was eating at your brain, pulling it apart bit by bit.

Suddenly there were more faces at the end of the tunnel and you felt yourself fall, the tunnel began to spin and everyone started to get further away, like Alice falling down the rabbit hole.

The last thing you heard was Bruce’s voice calling to you in a panicked tone, “(F/n)!”  You tried to respond to tell him you were all right, that you were just falling, but everything went black.  
  



	31. Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things got really deep for me guys. This isn't what I was planning. It just sort of happened. Funny how I always end up doing that.

When your eyes slid open, you began to wonder if you actually were Alice in Wonderland or if somehow you were on a really bad acid trip… well, power trip. Everything around you seemed to either be a vivid color or had a bright aura and you sat up rubbing your temple with furrowed brows.

What the freak? What was this place… ? You heard voices that sounded oddly familiar so you followed them, careful of where you stepped on the purple grass that seemed to cover this place. You came to a big bay window and kneeled on the bench to get a good look through. You saw Bruce pacing, a shadow of stubble gracing his jaw, and a tired-looking Tony leaning against some surface, talking to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“I had Jarvis go over the tapes. She was bleeding long before she collapsed. Her abilities must have been blocking out how overextended she was.”

Bruce didn’t stop, “I should have known. I should have noticed.”

Tony didn’t say anything. There was nothing he could say to comfort his friend that he hadn’t already. His thoughts echoed Bruce’s words- he should have noticed. He did notice… when he helped you take that Leviathan down. He should have done something- stopped you, knocked you out, something.

Steve spoke up from where he was across the room, “I don’t think she knew how bad it was. She seemed fine up until her eyes switched back.”

Bruce stopped, “When we…” He had flashes of memories, his lips against yours, your hands in his hair, he gulped, “When we hung back, she said they would fade when she had a chance to process everything.” 

 

Steve ran a hand through his hair, “She did seem pensive when we were walking… just before it happened, there were a few tears streaming down her face.” Steve wondered if he could have prevented this somehow, shaking his head.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You banged on the window, “I’m right here. Seriously I’m fine!” Nothing changed. You let out an aggravated scream to the hazy pale orange sky, throwing your fists against it as forcefully as you could.

“They can’t hear you.” Came a quiet voice from behind you. You tilted your head, you knew that voice, and spun as you placed it.

You stood with wide eyes looking over the figure in front of you, “Daddy?”

He looked just as he had the last time you had seen him, his tall figure closer to your height but still towering over you even though you weren’t a kid anymore. The smooth dark hair pushed back from his face, a slight five o’clock shadow coloring his jawline. The wrinkled white lab coat thrown over a tacky Hawaiian shirt and loose pants with far too many pockets. His sparkling hazel eyes under thick eyebrows glinting with mischief and his lips set in a knowing line. It was all the same.

Your eyes welled up with tears and you buried your face in your hands, “Oh daddy I’m so sorry…”

He stepped forward and pulled you into his arms, “My silly little Munchkin, you have nothing to be sorry for. I brought you to the lab that night. I wasn’t even supposed to be working… we were supposed to be going to the movies remember?”

“But the explosion… and I-I… I killed you.”

“Not your fault. I should have tested the results before attempting what I did. Made sure you were out of the way and safe. What happened after, you couldn’t control.”

You tried to take this all in and suddenly you were back at that night, watching it like a video on a big screen, your father’s hand in yours. There he was, messing with his tubes in frantic happiness with you seated on a stool next to him, almost disappearing into his spare lab coat with comically large goggles pressed to your little face.

He swooped you up and you giggled as he spun around, “I think I’ve finally got it Munchkin.”

He set you back down and went about his work. You pouted for a minute, wanting more attention, but soon fell into a sort of trance while watching him work. You had always loved that, watching his moments of brilliance as he twirled across his lab happily, sometimes shouting out discoveries, other times tugging at his hair until he looked like some sort of mad scientist.

That was how you’d grown up, watching him in his lab, listening to him twitter about some new molecule or something. He loved you more than anything, you knew that, but his brain just didn’t have an off switch.

You chuckled now as you watched your past self on the screen, giving his hand a squeeze, “I always did love watching you work.”

He returned his own chuckle, “Always observing. I could never tell what your smart little brain was thinking.”

You kept watching, wincing as it came to the point you remembered so vividly. He poured one tube into another and then bounded off to a different part of the lab, leaving you to watch the substance change color. There was suddenly a loud bang accompanied by the smashing of glass and a puff of colored light as the vial exploded.

You watched him rush to your small form in a panic, hands hovering over you as, for once in his life, he was unsure of what to do. When he finally laid a hand on your shaking form, there was an explosion very different from the one before, a combination of all your powers forcing itself out and away from you, throwing him against a far wall with deadly force.

It was the moment when the molecules in your body, your very DNA, had changed, causing something similar to an exothermic reaction- a total release of built up energy.

You turned away from the screen. You knew what happened next, it haunted your dreams. Your little stubby arms poking at his lifeless form, begging for him to come back to you as you sobbed.

The screen disappeared and he put a hand on your shoulder, “You see. It wasn’t your fault. Science just finally had its way with me and unfortunately, you got caught in the crosshairs.”

You sighed, you had always known it was true but it was so much easier to go about your life keeping your distance from everyone because you thought yourself a killer… a monster.

Your brain seemed to wake up then, “If you’re here… Does that mean I’m dead?”

“Ahh… no. Well yes. Yes but no at the same time.” He said waving his hands around trying to find the right answer, “You’re somewhere in between. That’s all I can say because I’m only a figment of your imagination. I can only tell you things you already know.”

You nodded, trying to sort that out, when you heard voices again.


	32. Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know. So many feels.

Leaving him to follow them, you came to another window. Looking through, you saw the same setting as before only Bruce was sitting on a counter far away from you with his face in his hands and Natasha sat in a chair much closer.

To most people, she would seem unfeeling and blank but you weren’t most people. You could see the effects of lack of sleep at the corners of her eyes and a deep sense of sadness from the way she held her lips. You wanted so desperately to hug your friend. Clint came into the space and she looked up at him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Clint crossed the room and pulled Natasha into his arms. They had finally taken their relationship to a romantic level. With all that had been going on it didn’t make any sense to keep dancing around it. Life was short.

Natasha turned to Bruce, “You should get some rest, Dr. Banner. We’ll stay here until you get back.”

Bruce lifted his face, “No. I can’t leave.”

Natasha and Clint exchanged worried glances, communicating in their special language, and Clint stepped toward the tired physicist, “Bruce, buddy, you're pushing yourself too far. Please go shower and eat something at least. Tash and I will keep watch here. You need to get out of this room even if it’s just for an hour.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~

The window went dark. “Bet you didn’t know you had so many friends, did you?” Your eyes went wide and you spun so quickly you almost toppled, but the person caught your arm, steadying you.  

You looked up into their face. It was him. Those blue eyes and the small smile that made him look like he always had a secret and he always did. “Hey, Phil.”  

He grinned at you, “Hey there, Kiddo. Quite a mess you’ve gotten yourself into this time.”

You shoved him, “Me? I'm not the one who went and died.”

He chuckled and ruffled your hair, “This isn’t about me (F/n). It’s about them.” He nodded toward the window, “All this time you thought I was the only one that cared. That understood. You couldn’t have been more wrong. That group of people- they would go to the ends of the earth and beyond for you.”

You looked back at the window as it began to flash images of each of them, memories of your time with them. There was you on Tony’s back as the two of you bolted away from where you’d hacked the ship’s main computer to make all the screens everywhere play gay porn. You and Tash grounding it out on the mat, challenging each other to do better with a smirk. Hawk sitting next to you in the highest reaches of the ship, swinging your legs as you teased him about Natasha and discussed the little things.

Even Thor and Steve had good memories to contribute, with Steve hoisting you up into a grateful hug when you taught him how to send a text message before setting you back down quickly with an entirely red face and Thor giving you his excited puppy grin as you asked him to tell you of all things Asgardian. 

 

The images started to slow down and then there was Bruce- the anger buddies pinky promise, the kiss in the raining hallway, after the battle with his arms around your waist, nose pressed to yours as he made you melt with that shy smile you adored.

It stopped there and you turned to face Coulson. He was looking at you with knowing eyes, “You need to go back to them (F/n). Let me go” You opened your mouth to protest but he interrupted you, “That’s an order Agent (L/n)”

You looked at him with tears in your eyes and you suddenly knew what you needed to do. You closed them, blocking out the strange world around you, and then took a deep breath as you focused on everything you had out there, beyond the windows.

Everything seemed to come rushing at you in an instant and you knew that when you opened your eyes, he wouldn’t be there anymore.


	33. Illusions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have decided to end this here.

The ceiling is gray and lifeless and you hate it, but at the moment your eyes fluttered open, you had never been more happy to see it looming over you blankly. You sighed, the moment gone, “Why the fuck is it that no matter what I do I always end up back on this stupid Helicarrier looking up at its stupid gray ceilings.”

There was a rustle as you lifted your head slightly, only to have your field of vision completely blocked by a mixture of red and something shiny. Thor.

“Lady (F/n) you are awake!” He boomed much louder than necessary, pulling you up into a hug.

You managed a choked laugh and another voice began scolding him, “Thor I think you should put Miss (L/n) down. She still has a number of tubes and cords attached to her that I’m sure aren’t comfortable in that position.”

You were released rather abruptly and Thor leaned over you with the saddest sad puppy eyes you’d ever seen, “I am sorry Lady (F/n). I did not mean to hurt you.”  

You giggled weakly, “It’s alright Thor. You didn’t hurt me. Really.”

You shifted to try and sit up and Steve caught your arm to help you. You grinned at him gratefully, “Hey Cap.”

His face broke out into a full eye-crinkling smile, “Hello Miss- I mean (F/n).”

You shoved yourself the rest of the way up only to flop back into the pillows and press a hand over your eyes firmly when the world started to spin, “Right. That was a bad idea.”

“Why? What’s the matter?” You could hear concern seeping into the super soldier’s voice.

You grinned, “Oh come on now Steve. Can’t you tell I was blinded by the sight of your wonderfully handsome face?” 

You peaked through your fingers as you said it to see him blush bright red and at the same time, you could hear the door slide open.

“Awake less than five minutes and already teasing our poor captain… I taught you well.”

You sat up quickly, “Tony!”

You were met by a wave of dizziness again but refused to lay back instead shoving your head between your knees and taking some deep breaths.

You felt a hand on your shoulder, “Now now Ice Queen. I know you're eager to see my fantastic face but there’s no need to rush. It’ll be here when you’re ready.”

You chuckled softly as you tried clear your vision, “You might need to reevaluate that statement with the way Tash is looking at you right now.”

You heard Tony shuffle away from her, “How did you even know she was here?”

“It’s a girl thing Stark. You wouldn’t understand.” You held up a fist and Natasha bumped it with a smirk.

Once you trusted yourself, you lifted your head to look at the little circle of people around you and the first thing you noticed was Clint’s arm around Natasha’s waist. You gave him a wide teasing grin, “Finally.”

He leaned forward and ruffled your hair, “Hush you.”

Natasha gave him a little shove, “She knew?”

You laughed so hard you almost fell backward, “Tash, sweetie, everyone knew except you.”

The rest of the group burst into laughter and you looked around at them, smiling fondly at first and then your face twisted into a frown.

“Where’s Bruce?” you asked quietly.

It seemed none of them had noticed he wasn’t there and looked around now. It was Tony who turned around and then did a facepalm, “Seriously man? You refuse to leave her side the entire time she’s out and now that she’s awake you just stand there?”

Leaning carefully to see around Tony, you spotted Bruce standing frozen across the room. Tony was about to go over to him when you grabbed his arm, “Guys could you give us a minute?”

They all gave nods and shuffled out. When you were sure they’d gone, you called to him.

“Brucey?”

Nothing.

“Bruce, sweetie, you starting to worry me.”

Still nothing.

You sighed, annoyed and worried at the same time, “Dr. Banner if you don’t get your adorable little butt over here right now I’m going to rip all these cords out and come over there.”

A little wind whipped up as you said it, big mistake, you paled and the room went back to spinning. You took a couple of deep breaths, pushing your head between your knees, and you suddenly felt a hand on your back, at least it got him to come over.

“Are you alright?” his voice sounded like a mixture of concerned and unsure.

You kept your head down, “I should be asking you the same question. What’s with the statue act?”

It was quiet for a bit and then you heard it, “I wasn’t sure if you were real or not. I-I’m still not.”

You lifted your head to look at him. He looked absolutely dreadful. Reaching out a hand to cup his face, you asked, “When was the last time you slept?”

He leaned into your touch, eyes flickering closed and a hand coming up to cover yours,”Uhh… I don’t know. Not since the motel.”

You frowned thinking, you’d both been through a long battle since then and you had to have been out for at least a few days, “That was a while ago Bruce. Too long. Come here.”

You pulled him onto the bed with you before he could protest, his head falling on your stomach.

He nuzzled into it sleepily causing you to giggle, “I thought I’d lost you Sunshine.”

You stroked his hair softly, “I’m right here Brucey and I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

He snuggled deeper and a serious but quiet voice managed, “And if your just some hallucination concocted by my sleep deprived mind? If I wake up and you're still lying lifeless in bed?”

You took in a deep breath and let it out slowly causing his head to rise and then fall, “I’m real Bruce.”

He sounded near tears, “I don’t believe you.”

You sat up slightly, repositioning his head to your lap so you could look down at him and then tugged at his hair gently, “Look at me.”

He looked up into your eyes hesitantly and you leaned over to place a soft kiss on his lips, “Now I can think of quite a few ways to make it clear to you that I’m real the first of which being to make good on that pinky promise we made in Stark Tower… though unless you want an audience, we may want to save that one for later 'cause I’m pretty sure Tony’s watching us right now.”

Bruce sat up quickly, almost knocking his head against yours, and then turned to look at you, “It is you.”

You chuckled, raising an eyebrow, “Well yeah dummy that’s what I’ve been trying to-“

His lips hit yours with a passionate force that quite literally took your breath away and you returned the kiss just as fiercely. His hands found their way up to your face and much too soon for your liking he pulled away to look at you, you looked back at him, watching him carefully.

When he didn’t move or say anything, you rolled your eyes and flopped back onto the bed, pulling him with you again, his head back on your stomach, “Is this freezing thing going to become a habit? ‘Cause I don’t like it.”

You could feel the rumble of his laughter throughout your body, “Last time I promise.”  

You wove your fingers through his hair and he let out a content sigh, “Good. Now get some sleep, Bruce.”

There was no response and you wondered if he had already fallen asleep when he suddenly tilted his head to look up at you, “I love you (F/n)”

Your heart flipped in your chest and you pushed the hair back from his face gently, “I love you too, Bruce. Now sleep.”

He snuggled into your stomach and you continued to stroke his hair until you heard soft snoring. You rolled your eyes, how did this man even have an adorable snore? It was downright criminal.


End file.
